The Last Voyage of the Demeter

[phantomstranger]

Marcus Nispel Takes Last Voyage of Demeter
Source: Variety
May 1, 2009


Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th) is in talks to direct The Last Voyage of Demeter for Phoenix Pictures with Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer and Brad Fischer producing.

Variety says that the story, written by Bragi Schut Jr., is based on a chapter in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" describing the arrival of the vampire count in England on a cargo ship that has crashed into the rocks at Whitby with no crew and the dead captain lashed to the steering wheel. Stoker tells the story via the captain's log of the voyage, which begins in Bulgaria and becomes increasingly disjointed as members of the crew disappear.

Chris Bender and JC Spink are executive producing.

[Doc Faustus]

This is a really cool premise. I wish it the best.

[_____V_____]

The vampire craze continues with news, via Bloody Disgusting, that Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters, Anatomy, All The Queen’s Men) is bringing The Last Voyage of the Demeter, to the screen.

The film, written by Bragi Schut (Season of the Witch), details the journey of the Demeter ship which carried a cofffin and Count Dracula on board…only one person survived. Well, two people if you count Dracula.

The script has been sat gathering dust for a decade. Written by Season Of The Witch scribe Bragi Schut, it’s been described by The Hollywood Reporter as “reminiscent of the first movie in the Alien franchise”. And while this film would be hard-pressed to measure up to the masterpiece that is Alien, we could have the makings of a solid claustrophobic shocker here.

For those not au fait with the Dracula novel, the Demeter carries Dracula from the sea port of Varna and turns up on Whitby’s shores on a stormy night, a ghost ship. The captain’s log reveals the strange journey and how the crew knew something terrible was going down. This could be an atmospheric horror and gory horror movie. And for those who love a bit of irony, Demeter was also the goddess of fertility and harvests…the only thing reaped on the Demeter’s journey is death and lots of blood.

Schut wrote the screenplay back in the 1990s and what with everybody going gaga for vampirism, this looks like a nice spin on a segment of Dracula’s journey to England. If this comes off, it could be, potentially, pretty amazing. German director Marcus Nispel was attached but it looks like Ruzowitzky is steering the production towards the screen.

Phoenix Pictures are backing the film.

[phantomstranger]

In a couple of months IDW comics will be publishing a graphic novel called "Death Ship" and it will have the same plot line.

[_____V_____]

It’s been a long time since we had any news on Dracula story with a difference, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, but now it finally looks like the ship is almost ready to set sail as casting announcements begin creeping out of the production.

The LA Times is reporting that hot property Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is about ready to board the project, which tells the story of the ill-fated ship’s voyage from Transylvania to England in which all of the crew are mysteriously killed. In Bram Stoker’s original story, the Russian vessel washes up at Whitby with its crew missing, presumed dead, and only one actual corpse aboard (besides the undead passenger): that of the captain, lashed to the helm. The ship’s log recounts strange events aboard that lead to most of the crew abandoning her.

According to their sources, Rapace is expected to play a stowaway in the film, and Sir Ben Kingsley is also expected to sign up. If that wasn’t enough, their source is also promising that a lead actor is in the process of being cast also.

That lead could be Dracula, but not having read the script, Dracula’s role could be minimal, with the crew of the ship beset by wolves, creatures or something else under the sway of the vampire.