Renfield is set to bare its teeth in cinemas this weekend, and things are certainly looking interesting for one of the cheekiest takes on Dracula in history. With some critics blasting it as a toothless horror comedy and others giving it all the praise in the world, only time will tell if it sticks the landing with audiences and at the box office.
Of course, the big question is whether or not this could be the start of a brand new Universal monsters cinematic universe, because heaven forbid any piece of genre fiction ends up being enjoyed for what it is rather than for what it’s a part of. Opinions aside, it would be an awfully bold move considering how the last attempt went for Universal.
Nevertheless, producer Robert Kirkman, who also came up with the original concept and pitch for Renfield, would have no qualms about expanding the Renfield universe, even if it’s nowhere near the top of his to-do list. In an interview with ComicBook, Kirkman emphasized the intention of making Renfield its own movie, but also noted that a sequel could come to fruition if the first film does well.
“Any movie you make at this point, you always have it in the back of your head. Maybe we’ll do a sequel if it does well enough, but Universal was great in that they gave us the latitude to make this a complete piece. It’s its own movie.”
Renfield stars Nicholas Hoult as the titular character, who’s been serving Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) for approximately 100 years, and has become fed up with the monster’s antagonistic nature. Escaping to New Orleans in hopes of crafting a new life away from his abuser, he soon realizes that escaping the shadow of his master takes a bit more elbow grease than he thought.
Renfield releases to theaters on April 14.
