If it feels like Dracula-inspired movies are coming out of the woodwork lately, it’s because that’s exactly true, with projects currently in various stages of production from Karyn Kusama, Chris McKay, and Chloé Zhao. Now you can add Jessica M. Thompson (The Light of the Moon) to that list of directors.
As Deadline reports, Thompson will direct The Bride, from an original script by Blair Butler that Thompson revised, and here’s what we know about it, other than the fact that it will (obviously) involve vampires: “The pic is a contemporary horror thriller that tells the story of a young woman who is courted and swept off her feet, only to realise a gothic conspiracy is afoot. Given the popularity of the Dracula IP, execs are excited about the possibility of this project, seeing it as a potential franchise, with the studio fast-tracking the movie for an end-of-summer start.”
Some of that excitement has to spring from the cast, which will include Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Army of Thieves) and Garret Hedlund (Tron: Legacy). There’s no word on what characters they’ll be playing, but considering The Bride is Dracula-inspired — with maybe a little Rebecca and/or Crimson Peak thrown in there? — you can guess that Emmanuel is likely to play the titular newlywed, with Hedlund possibly playing her suitor. Fans of monster-adjacent movies can presumably look forward to double-featuring this The Bride with the 1985 The Bride (inspired by Bride of Frankenstein), while also waiting for all those other Dracula flicks to make their way to theatres.