Blumhouse looking to bring Dracula back from the undead as feature film

In keeping with its pattern of bringing dead things back to life, Blumhouse is looking to revive yet another classic monster. Hot off the heels of The Invisible Man being a critical and commercial hit, SYFY WIRE has confirmed that Jason Blum and company are planning to produce a new Dracula feature. 

The film isn't yet set at a studio, per Variety. Blumhouse has a first-look deal at Universal Pictures, and recently worked with the studio on The Invisible Man, a standalone film based on another classic Universal monster. SYFY WIRE has reached out to Universal Pictures for comment.

Karyn Kusama (Destroyer) will direct this unnamed Dracula standalone feature, reportedly set in the present day, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay, who have worked with Kusama on a number of films including Destroyer and The Invitation, are writing the script. In addition to directing Jennifer’s Body, Kusama also helmed the sixth episode of HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider ("The One About the Yiddish Vampire," appropriately enough).

Once thought to be gone for good after 2017’s The Mummy, Universal’s one and only entry in its now defunct Dark Universe, Universal’s stable of classic monsters appears to have risen from the dead after Blumhouse made The Invisible Man and turned it into a bona fide hit. The Leigh Whannell-directed feature debuted at No.1 and raked in over $102 million globally thus far against a budget of a reported $7 million.

This news immediately follows Aquaman and Saw director James Wan signing a deal with Universal Pictures to develop a monster movie of his own.

Blumhouse, which renewed its first-look deal with Universal in 2014 for 10 years, is opting for a creator-driven approach with the Universal monsters over the Dark Universe’s attempt at establishing a sense of continuity among films.

SYFY WIRE and Universal Pictures are both owned by NBCUniversal.