For those of you thinking that the vampire craze is almost over now that we're down to the final Twilight movie, think again. Earlier today we learned that there is some forward motion on Harker, a revamped version of Bram Stoker's Dracula, and now we've learned that Universal is trying to get Dracula Year Zero off the ground.
The report comes from Deadline, which reports that the studio is now in talks with director Gary Shore to helm the project. The project is actually being brought back from the dead, as it was close to starting production with Sam Worthington in the lead and Alex Proyas directing (he left the project to make Paradise Lost, which, coincidentally was shut down earlier this week). Universal cancelled the project because the budget was a touch too high for their liking. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless - who actually don't have any produced credits to their name - have written a new draft of the screenplay, possibly eliminating elements that made the budget soar last time the movie was close to production. According to the site's sources, Worthington is no longer attached to play Prince Vlad of Transylvania a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler.
Should he land the gig, Dracula Year Zero would be the first feature title for Gary Shore. His only credit is a short film from 2006 called The Draft, which he also produced. That particular project was a creature feature that was made to look like a 1950s B-movie. With that in mind, this one sounds right up Shore's alley.
