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Dracula Untold is a high-profile retelling of the ages old story of Dracula. It mixes the real life exploits of Vlad the Impaler with the Dracula mythology originated by Bram Stoker. The film is directed by Gary Shore and written by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama. This big-budget incarnation is reportedly the first in a series of planned reboots drawing from the original Universal Monsters films.
The origins of Dracula Untold date back as far as 2007 and the road to the big screen has been a lengthy one for this picture. Alex Proyas (Dark City) was originally slated to direct but negotiations ultimately fell through – reportedly due to disagreement over budgetary funds. But in 2012, the project began to gain steam again when it was announced that Gary Shore was on board to direct the film.
Luke Evans (The Raven) will star as Vlad with Sarah Gadon (Antiviral) playing opposite Evans as Mirena. Like the film’s creative process, its casting has also undergone change. Evans was tapped to replace Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) who was originally attached to play the lead.
Universal has opted to go with a lot of unknown talent for the creative team on Dracula Untold. The film marks director Gary Shore’s feature film debut. His only previous credit is a short called The Draft. The film also represents screenwriter Matt Sazama’s first feature film script as well as co-writer Burk Sharpless.
It will be interesting to see how this multimillion dollar retelling plays out. There is a high probability that the film will rely heavily on CGI in its depiction of battle sequences as well as any carnage that unfolds off the battlefield. A rating hasn’t yet been established. I would hazard a guess that the film is targeting a PG-13 rating but time will tell.
Director(s): Gary Shore
Writer(s): Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless
Stars: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper
Release: Oct 17, 2014
Studio/ Production Co: Universal Pictures
Budget: $100 Million (Estimated)
Language: English
Sub-Genre: Action/Fantasy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_Untold
