With Sherlock on indefinite hiatus and the pair moving away from Doctor Who, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss will next be devoting their energies into modernizing another British classic in their upcoming Dracula TV series.
Everything about the duo’s interpretation of the oft-adapted tale of the world’s most famous vampire is currently being kept tightly under wraps. For instance, we don’t know anything about the format, the cast or whether it will follow Sherlock and be set in contemporary times or if it will stick with the Victorian setting of Bram Stoker’s novel.
However, Mark Gatiss might have given us our first clue about the project in the form of who he might play in it. While talking on UK daytime talk show Lorraine, Gatiss explained that he’s not sure if he’s going to act in Dracula as well as write it. But, if he does, he already has a part in mind.
“I don’t know yet [if I’ll be in it]. The part I’d like is obviously Renfield, the mad man. That’s the best part. We’ll see.”
For those not familiar with the usual Dracula story, Renfield is the bloodsucker’s insane servant who memorably has a compulsion to eat insects. You can see why the actor, who enjoys playing macabre parts, would gravitate towards this role. Plus, as fans of his might already know, Gatiss has previously ticked off playing Dracula from his bucket list in a radio adaptation.
If he did appear in Dracula, this would be far from the first time that he’s acted in a show he’s also written for. Gatiss has frequently written for himself when playing Sherlock‘s older brother Mycroft Holmes. This month will also see him in the Doctor Who Christmas special, a series that Gatiss recently confirmed he won’t be penning next year.
A previous report has stated that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Dracula will likely arrive on the BBC in 2019, but as of yet, we don’t have an exact date. As always, though, stay tuned for more.
