Universal is moving forward with their Renfield movie, which focuses on Dracula's assistant R.M. Renfield. Renfield was an original character from Bram Stoker's 1897 Dracula novel. The character was then brought to life by Dwight Frye in Tod Browning's 1931 classic Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. Renfield suffered from delusions and ate insects and spiders in hopes that it would make him live longer.
Universal Studios' classic monster movies are well-known among the horror community, and the studio has been trying to reboot the iconic characters for years. The studio has had some hits and misses, with Dracula Untold and Tom Cruise's The Mummy failing to kick off their planned Dark Universe. The studio is now focusing on stand-alone projects rather than building a cinematic universe. 2020's The Invisible Man proved that was a good route to take, with Leigh Whannell's modern approach to the story getting positive reviews. There are several more stand-alone projects in development, including Renfield.
Universal Studios is making progress on Renfield, with Deadline reporting that The Lego Batman Movie director Chris McKay is in final talks to direct the film. Dexter Fletcher was previously attached to direct Renfield, and the story is being written by Rick & Morty writer Ryan Ridley. Plot details on Renfield are under wraps, but it will be based on an original story by Robert Kirkman and is not expected to be a period piece.
While there isn't a lot known about Renfield just yet, there are several other projects to be excited about. The Wolfman is one of the most famous monsters set to appear on the big screen, with Whannell returning to direct and starring Ryan Gosling. Elizabeth Banks is also starring and directing The Invisible Woman, although it isn't expected to crossover with Elizabeth Moss' The Invisible Man. Dracula himself is being rebooted as well, with Blumhouse again focusing on a modern-day approach.
The Universal monsters are one of the studio's most valuable properties, so it makes sense that they would branch off to make films about lesser-known characters in the franchise. Renfield is undoubtedly a riskier film to develop compared to those listed above, but it still has potential since it is connected to one of the most popular vampires in cinema's history. It's unknown if Renfield will connect to Blumhouse's Dracula, but either way, it sounds like an interesting concept with the creator of The Walking Dead being involved with the story.
Source: Deadline