Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, which generated a horror hit with “The Invisible Man,” has launched development of an untitled Dracula movie.
Karyn Kusama, whose credits include “Destroyer,” “The Invitation” and “Jennifer’s Body,” is attached to direct the Dracula project. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, who teamed with Kusama on “Destroyer” and “The Invitation,” are writing the script.
The project is not set at a studio. Blumhouse has a first-look deal at Universal and partnered with the studio on “The Invisible Man.”
The Count Dracula character was created by Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel “Dracula” as the vampire moved from Transylvania to England and battled with Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The character was memorably portrayed by Bela Lugosi in Universal’s “Dracula” in 1931. Luke Evans played the vampire in 2014’s “Dracula Untold,” which grossed $217 million worldwide for Universal.
Universal has already been moving towards duplicating the success of “The Invisible Man,” which stars Elisabeth Moss and has topped $100 million worldwide on a $7 million budget. It announced last week that it was teaming with “Aquaman” director James Wan on a horror/thriller inspired by Universal’s monster legacy.
“The Invisible Man” is a modern-day version of the studio’s 1933 movie of the same name, which starred Claude Rains. Other Universal monsters of that era include Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolf Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon.
After breaking out as a producer on the original “Paranormal Activity,” Blum’s name has become synonymous with all things horror as the filmmaker launched franchises including “Insidious,” “Sinister,” “Ouija” and “Purge.” Blum has received nominations for the Academy Award for best picture for producing “Whiplash,” “Get Out,” and “BlacKkKlansman.”
