Nicolas Cage as Dracula?
Nicholas Hoult as Renfield?
Sign us up, all the way up!
Universal Pictures dropped the official trailer for Renfield today, which offers a unique (and hilarious) take on the man tasked with caring for Dracula.
This Renfield has sold his soul to Dracula for some pretty wicked powers that allow him to compete with the greatest superheroes.
But his job is anything but superheroic.
Feeding Dracula is a full-time job, and ol’ Drac’s got some pretty specific tastes, such as a bus full of children, to satisfy his cravings.
Renfield has no idea how to extricate himself from the situation, so he attends a support group, seemingly for people dealing with overbearing bosses.
Even the best support group would find it difficult to counsel Renfield with his particular boss, but it looks like they give him some useful ideas to get started.
Hoult has sunk his teeth into humorous roles successfully in the past.
He’s a standout as a childish yet keenly observant king in Hulu’s The Great, and he’s not new to the comedic-horror genre, either.
Hoult made waves as a zombie in 2013’s Warm Bodies, and he’s excellent in 2022’s The Menu as a snobbish wannabe food critic with a serious crush on one particular chef.
It’s not until the end of the two-minute trailer that Cage emerges as Dracula, but the anticipation pays off handsomely.
Cage is a master at the bizarre.
He took a traditional rom-com role in Peggy Sue Got Married and injected so much Cag-ism into it that the film became a cult classic.
In recent years, he’s been leaning into his specialty with independent movies like Mandy and Color Out of Space, and he was magical as a version of himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which turned out to be one of the best buddies comedies in years.
That version of himself would be thrilled with what we see of his Dracula, however short our satisfaction is in the trailer.
We never knew we needed Cage and Hoult on screen together, but it’s a bet that we expect to pay off handsomely.
Renfield looks like pure, unadulterated fun!
Let us know if you plan to carve out time to see the film, which drops in theaters on April 14th.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.
