Nicolas Cage cites Malignant as inspiration for his portrayal of Dracula

(Image credit: Netflix)

Nicolas Cage has spoken about his upcoming role as Dracula in the movie Renfield, citing recent horror release Malignant and Japanese movie Ringu as sources of inspiration.

"I want it to pop in a unique way from how we’ve seen it played," he told Variety's Awards Circuit podcast. "So I’m thinking to really focus on the movement of the character. You know, I saw Malignant and I thought what she did with those moves – and even Ringu with Sadako [Yamamura]… I want to look at what we can explore with this movement and voice."

Cage also revealed that he'd studied other actors' takes on the role, including Bela Lugosi's 1931 performance, Frank Langella's portrayal in 1979, and Gary Oldman, who starred in Cage's uncle Francis Ford Coppola's version of the tale in 1992.

In Bram Stoker's iconic gothic novel, R.M. Renfield is an inmate at an asylum – thought to be experiencing delusions, he was actually a servant of Dracula. Nicholas Hoult will play Renfield in this new movie, while Awkwafina has also been cast in an undisclosed role.

The Lego Movie director Chris McKay is helming a modern-day retelling of the tale based on an original story by Robert Kirkman, the comic book writer best known for co-creating The Walking Dead. Ryan Ridley, who's previously written for TV shows like Community and Rick and Morty, penned the movie's script – so it looks like we can expect plenty of laughs.

"When you get that tone right – comedy and horror – like American Werewolf in London, it’s a blast. It’s got to be a bulls-eye. But that’s what I’m looking for, something new to bring to the character, and also that perfect tone of comedy and horror."

While we wait for Renfield to arrive on the big screen, check out our list of the best movies of 2021.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.