Lego Movie director to helm new movie about Dracula's henchman

Dracula
(Image credit: Universal)

Universal's next monster movie is in the works – a contemporary story centering on Dracula's henchman Renfield, directed by Chris McKay, Deadline reports.

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. McKay's movie will take place in the present day and will reportedly include a mix of humor and action.

The movie will be based on an original story by Robert Kirkman, the comic book writer best known for co-creating The Walking Dead, with a script by Ryan Ridley, who's previously written for TV shows like Community and Rick and Morty. McKay will direct and produce – Dexter Fletcher was previously in talks to helm the movie, but has since moved onto other projects.

McKay's directing credits include The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie. His latest title is The Tomorrow War, a sci-fi flick starring Chris Pratt, which is releasing on Amazon Prime in July.

After the success of 2020's Elisabeth Moss-led The Invisible Man, Universal has a number of other monster titles up its sleeves, including Wolfman, starring Ryan Gosling, and a Van Helsing movie produced by Aquaman director James Wan. Dracula seems to be an especially hot property at the moment, with Nomadland director Chloé Zhao also set to put her own spin on the vampire tale.

While we wait for Renfield to arrive in theaters, check out our list of the best Netflix movies that you can watch right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, 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. 

Read more
Robert Eggers at the Nosferatu UK premiere
Nosferatu director Robert Eggers is doing something "that’s not been done before" with his new upcoming horror movie
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok
Nosferatu’s Robert Eggers is directing a werewolf horror movie next because fleshy, mustached vampires weren’t enough
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok
Nosferatu director Robert Eggers says that his upcoming werewolf horror movie is "the darkest thing" he's "ever written"
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok in Nosferatu
There's actually a werewolf reference in a Nosferatu deleted scene, and it's sparked theories about a Robert Eggers connected universe
Julia Garner as Charlotte and Christopher Abbott as Blake in Wolf Man
Wolf Man director on how his new horror movie was inspired by Denis Villeneuve's Sicario and Prisoners: "This isn't a fantasy, this is real"
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok in Nosferatu
Nosferatu director explains why he wanted to keep Bill Skarsgård's Orlok look secret – and hopes audiences respect it
Latest in Horror Movies
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog
Drop
New horror movie starring White Lotus and Yellowstone actors gets a great Rotten Tomatoes score as early reactions call it the "perfect date night movie"
Clown in a Cornfield
First reactions to new clown horror movie say the slasher is giving Terrifier a run for its money
The House of the Dead first look 'Test Subjects'
Resident Evil director offers update on his horror movie adaptation of Until Dawn-sounding video game from over 20 years ago: "It's going to be very, very scary"
Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place Part 2
A Quiet Place 3 is finally happening, but it'll be a while because John Krasinski is so busy: "It's hard to get him"
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog