A new trailer for Renfield explores the toxic relationship between the titular servant (Nicholas Hoult) and Nicolas Cage’s Count Dracula. Directed by Christopher McKay, Renfield promises to update the Dracula mythos by taking the focus away from the vampire lord.
The new trailer presents the surprising story of Reinfield. After serving Dracula for 93 years, Renfield falls in love with aggressive traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina). This unexpected encounter forces Renfield to rethink his relationship with his boss, and the lackey decides to cut ties with Dracula once and for all. However, that’s easier said than done since Cage’s version of Dracula is a possessive man who’ll do anything to keep his toxic relationship going.
Dealing with well-known characters such as Renfield and Dracula through the perspective of a breakup movie is already a genius idea. But the new trailer underlines how the upcoming movie is filled with exciting action set pieces. In a clever twist of the original Dracula story, eating bugs gives Renfield superpowers, making him fit to face crime lords and werewolves. And since the movie has been given an R rating, fans can be certain lots of blood will be spilled once the movie hits theaters.
Who’s Involved With Renfield?
The original Renfield story comes from Robert Kirkman, the comic book writer behind hits such as The Walking Dead and Invincible. The script, however, was written by Ryan Ridley, who served as a writer for Rick and Morty and Community. If that’s not enough to convince you that Renfield has the perfect mix of bizarre and hilarious, one of McKay’s biggest hits as a director is The Lego Batman Movie.
On top of it all, McKay recently told us he’s approaching Renfield as a direct sequel to Tod Browning’s Dracula, which kickstarted the Universal Monsters line of films in 1931. Considering how Cage looked for inspiration in Christopher Lee’s take on the vampire lord for Renfield, we’re bound to get a fresh and fun take on Dracula that still lead us through a journey through cinema’s history.
Renfield also stars Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Bess Rouss, and James Moses Black. The movie will have its world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival before getting a wide theatrical release.
Renfield premieres in theaters on April 14. Check out the final trailer below.
