Hammer to revive Dracula in modern-day London!

[roshiq]

Hammer CEO Simon Oakes has revealed that the production company is working on a new Dracula movie.

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/Peter%20Cushing/SCL3.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/Peter%20Cushing/SCL1.jpg
Lee as Dracula's reaction after the news came out!

The firm produced nine Dracula features between 1958 and 1974, with Christopher Lee taking on the role of Bram Stoker's count in seven of the productions.

Oakes revealed that the resurrected Hammer is "looking at the possibility of a contemporary Dracula" as well as a potential Frankenstein movie.

"We can't really tell you much about it but we really are looking at it," he said. "I've been saying that we'd never remake the films per se, but we would do our own versions of it.

Certainly in my time with Hammer we will definitely do a Dracula. We will do a Frankenstein if we can find a route in. It's about finding a route in that makes it your film.

There's a number of Draculas going on at the moment - there's a Vlad the Impaler film, a few other ones around, but we have a sense of what we'd like to do. It will be a London-based Dracula."

Asked if Hammer had any filmmakers in mind to revamp Dracula, Oakes replied: "We do, but we can't really say right now. My PR people are shaking their heads! I can not tell you. Just watch this space, we will be coming up with something relatively soon."

Source: Digital Spy (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a364582/dracula-hammer-to-revive-movie-in-modern-day-london-horror.html)

Hammer is also in early pre-production on The Quiet Ones, which will be written by Oscar-nominated The Messenger and Rampart director Oren Moverman.

"It's a poltergeist movie based on a true story set in a university campus...It's a well-constructed story, very visceral in its scares but fundamentally what's behind it is incredible characters. That's the next Hammer film," he said.

Oaked added that Hammer is hoping to launch a series based on Cherie Priest's Boneshaker novel.

"It's a steampunk novel set in 1860s Seattle," he said. "We think it's a potential franchise for us, but we say that with dread. If you make the first one and it doesn't work, we know that there goes our franchise. Cherie is writing a series of novels and the first one is fantastic."

[ZombieDrone]

Not surprised they're making a Dracula film. Hey, go with what you know.

Not sure if it should be contemporary (Dracula AD 2012? :D)

Wonder who they'd get to play the Count? I'll admit to being a little unsure about Daniel Radcliffe in a Hammer film, but looking at pictures of the new film, he looks like he fits surprisingly well. Could they be making a new Peter Cushing?

[hammerfan]

Wonder who they'd get to play the Count? I'll admit to being a little unsure about Daniel Radcliffe in a Hammer film, but looking at pictures of the new film, he looks like he fits surprisingly well. Could they be making a new Peter Cushing?

Now there's an interesting idea......

[Horror4ever]

Not surprised they're making a Dracula film. Hey, go with what you know.

Not sure if it should be contemporary (Dracula AD 2012? :D)

Wonder who they'd get to play the Count? I'll admit to being a little unsure about Daniel Radcliffe in a Hammer film, but looking at pictures of the new film, he looks like he fits surprisingly well. Could they be making a new Peter Cushing?

WTF?! Radcliffe as the count?! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard lately.

[ZombieDrone]

WTF?! Radcliffe as the count?! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard lately.

I wasn't thinking the count.

More likely Jonathan Harker but I meant that he fits the mould of Hammer well and they worked with the same actors over and over.

[neverending]

Now what WOULD be interesting, is, since they still have Lee & he's still going strong, give him a shot at Van Helsing!

I'm willing to bet it would make him the only actor to have played both the Count and his nemesis.

[hammerfan]

Now what WOULD be interesting, is, since they still have Lee & he's still going strong, give him a shot at Van Helsing!

I'm willing to bet it would make him the only actor to have played both the Count and his nemesis.

You know I would love that!

[roshiq]

Now what WOULD be interesting, is, since they still have Lee & he's still going strong, give him a shot at Van Helsing!

I'm willing to bet it would make him the only actor to have played both the Count and his nemesis.

Definitely that would be awesome but is he really physically fit to play Helsing? I'm not sure but he looks quite aged & tired on the screen lately i.e. The Resident & The Wicker Tree. Moreover, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Tree#Cast) while filming The Resident, Lee injured his back after tripping over power cables on set and that's why Lee only appeared as a cameo in Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man follow up instead of playing the lead villain.

[roshiq]

But yeah...if you consider the above health issue factor, IMO: he can still portray Professor Abraham van Helsing in the film but with an apprentice or a successor who can actively fight for him against Dracula.

[ZombieDrone]

Also, judging by what I've heard, Christopher Lee isn't all too fond of his association with horror films. He accepts it, but I don't think he's jonesing to get back involved with Hammer. The only horror film of his I've ever heard him be very much in favour of was The Wicker Man.

Still, the man did appear in Police Academy 7 so maybe he'll work on almost anything. :p

[neverending]

Lee has been on board with the Hammer revival from the very outset.

[roshiq]

Actually we can't be certain on that as Lee is again reprising the role of Saruman for The Hobbit films and also engaged in other projects including Tim Burton's Dark Shadows. So it's better to keep our fingers crossed & hope for the best.

But do you think "age" is a considerable factor to play certain roles? As a fan of Hammer films & Bram Stoker's Dracula what would you like to see for the roles...young or older talents? Let's have some speculation for the cast of Dracula & Van Helsing. So now other than Lee for Helsing what actors you'd like to prefer for such legendary roles?

I just found this blog (http://theblackboxclub.blogspot.com/2012/02/casting-call-for-hammers-new-dracula.html) where the writer suggested some names (after having a troll around the internet!)...mostly the big names from Hollywood where some are interesting and some are alarming also.

But that list on the blog didn't mention the following two actors who I think can be interesting to see play the roles...

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/MichaelShannon1.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/MichaelShannonasDracula.jpg
Michael Shannon as The Count Dracula!:D

and...

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/MichaelFassbender4.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/MichaelFassbender5.jpg
Michael Fassbender as Professor Van Helsing!

Though he may not as talented or wonderful actor like Peter Cushing but Fassbender can be a decent choice for not only Helsing but Baron Frankenstein also, IMO!

[ZombieDrone]

Well, Bram Stoker's original description of Dracula is that he looks like a very old man (which you would if you were centuries old) with a big white moustache and that with each passing victim he claimed, Dracula started to look younger and younger.

The only film that I know that actually used this type of description to any real amount was the Dracula adaptation by Jess Franco in 1970 (coincidentally, Dracula was played by Christopher Lee) although it's more-or-less there in Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film where Dracula's played by Gary Oldman.

I always thought a cool idea to for Dracula in this sort of look was to cast a young actor but with layers of heavy makeup making them look older. The logic is the older they get, the more layers of makeup they have and the more it looks rather unrealistic and disturbing.

[fortunato]

http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/MichaelFassbender4.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g348/sanjidhdc/MichaelFassbender5.jpg
Michael Fassbender as Professor Van Helsing!

Though he may not as talented or wonderful actor like Peter Cushing but Fassbender can be a decent choice for not only Helsing but Baron Frankenstein also, IMO!

Holy cow, I never realized how much he looks like Cushing.
I think Fassbender is an excellent actor. Did you see Hunger? I'd love to see him play Van Helsing or Baron Frankenstein.

[ZombieDrone]

Fassbender could be good, although he seems a little younger than what I consider Van Helsing to be.

I always thought Fassbender would be good as James Bond. The tavern sequence in Inglorious Basterds kind of reminds me of 007 when he talks about there being a place in hell for people who waste good scotch or how he cooly requests to "go out speaking the King's" when he's been rumbled. Sort of a laid-back classical style of playing Bond.