Luc Besson to Direct New Romantic Dracula Movie

Besson is planning a gothic romance take on Bram Stoker’s classic story, with an origin element exploring how Prince Vladimir became the bloodsucker.

(Left) Caleb Landry Jones in ‘Nitram.’ (Center) Christoph Waltz in 'Inglourious Basterds.' Photo: The Weinstein Company. (Right) Director Luc Besson. Credit/Provider: ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz board Luc Besson’s next film.
The director’s new movie is a take on Dracula.
It marks a reunion for Besson and Jones after ‘DogMan’.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a filmmaker in possession of good funding must be in want of a Dracula project.

All right, so that’s paraphrasing Jane Austen rather than Bram Stoker, but with so many adaptations of the ‘Dracula’ story out there, it somehow seems apt. The likes of Francis Ford Coppola, F. W. Murnau and even Mel Brooks have brought the infamous bloodsucker to screens.

Add to that list one Luc Besson, who has come up with his own take on the story.

And according to Deadline, he’s already started gathering the task for the movie, which is titled ‘Dracula – A Love Tale’.

What’s the story of Luc Besson’s Dracula movie?

Director Luc Besson. Credit/Provider: ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Based on Stoker’s iconic novel, the movie will chart the dark Prince who is condemned to eternal life. It’s apparently an origin story element exploring in more depth the gothic romance between Prince Vladimir and his wife, whose loss turns him to curse God and become a member of the fang club.

This being Besson, it won’t be a small-scale period drama, instead it’s planned as a hefty-budget, large-scale movie with impressive set-pieces and action.

Who is in ‘Dracula – A Love Tale’?

Christoph Waltz in 'Inglourious Basterds.' Photo: The Weinstein Company.

So far, the cast includes Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz, and while that might set you eagerly anticipating what Waltz might do as the legendary vampire, we must shoot those down with the news that Landry is taking the main role of the prince.

No information is available yet about Waltz’s role, but perhaps he’ll be an associate of the prince. But if we had a magic wand, we’d make him Dracula’s legendary nemesis, the vampire hunter Van Helsing. Of course, that’s assuming Van Helsing is even in the movie.

Jones is not much of a surprise, since he starred in a recent Besson movie, the revenge thriller ‘DogMan’. This will mark the first time that Waltz has worked with the director.

When will ‘Dracula – A Love Tale’ be in theaters?

While Besson is looking to shoot the movie this year, there is no indication for a release date yet. That’s mostly because the rights for this one are for sale at the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival.

But following on from its own festival run, ‘DogMan’ will be on limited release in the US on March 29th ahead of a wide launch on April 5th.

And Besson fans can also anticipate another movie from the director, ‘June and John’, an experimental film he shot during Covid lockdown.