Set your calendars, folks: We are now exactly 413 days from getting to go to a movie theater and watch Nicolas Cage Dracula the crap out of a bunch of scenery. That’s per Deadline, which reveals that Cage’s upcoming film Renfield—in which he’ll play the famed vampire, serving as master to Nicholas Hoult’s title character—has just set a release date for itself: April 14, 2023.
Given what happened the last time Cage played a vampire/man who thinks he’s a vampire, in 1988's Vampire Kiss, anticipation for Renfield is running high for those of us with a taste for a lot of high-energy Cage nonsense.
Here’s the logline for the film, which at least hints at a bit of a darkly comic tone for the Universal monster movie:
In this modern monster tale of Renfield (Hoult), the loyal but tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Cage), who is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the Prince of Darkness’ shadow. If only he can figure out how to end his co-dependency.
(Said hints of humor aren’t hurt by the fact that Invincible’s Robert Kirkman came up with the initial pitch, that Rick And Morty’s Ryan Ridley is writing the script, and that Ben Schwartz and Awkwafina are also set to appear.)
Now, the big question is: Are we going to get to watch Nicolas Cage make Nicholas Hoult eat a bug? (Or worse, renounce the “h” in his first name?) We’re going to go ahead and assume that, yes, some bug-eating will be afoot, because why else make a movie about monster cinema’s most famed bug-eater?
Hoult most recently starred in the second season of Hulu’s The Great; Cage is still coming off of his critically acclaimed performance in last year’s Pig, and is currently gearing up for a self-mocking performance in The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent, out in April 2022.