Nicolas Cage has made it clear that Dracula won’t have as much screen time as expected in Renfield. A horror-comedy focuses on Dracula’s loyal servant, Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), looking for a life outside of Dracula’s control after years of unappreciated and forced servitude. After finding himself in New Orleans, Renfield comes across Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), a traffic cop that he falls head-over-heels over. While Dracula is a major villain in the movie, he will mostly be doing it from the shadows, as he won’t have enough time on screen to make himself too present.
Given Dracula was barely in Renfield‘s trailer, his limited screen time may translate onto the big screen. In an interview with Collider, Cage revealed that Dracula really won’t have much screen time, as the movie is supposed to be about Renfield rather than Dracula. However, Cage reassured that Dracula has enough screen time to impact Renfield‘s revolving story and characters. Check out his quote below:
“To me, because the movie’s really not about me, Dracula rather, I don’t have a lot of screen time. It’s really Nick Hoult’s movie, and it’s about Renfield. I didn’t have the time, like the two-hour narrative to really dig deep into Dracula’s pathos per se. It’s not that. But I did have enough screen time to be able to try to develop a pop-art style to the character that hopefully will be a nice contribution to the other performers that have done it, that have had their take on this legendary character in both literature and cinema.”
Why Dracula Doesn’t Need To Appear Often In Renfield
While Dracula is important to Renfield’s story, his presence is felt without the vampire being seen. Since Renfield will spend much of the movie away from Dracula, thanks to his desire to explore the world at large, the infamous villain will be far from his fleeing servant. Though the Renfield trailer only shows Dracula at the end, the threat of his appearance is enough to make him feel like a weighty character. Renfield’s escape is important, and his relationship with Dracula is seen just from the way that he desperately flees the man and insults him.
Given that Renfield first appears in Dracula’s story, it is somewhat strange that Dracula will have such limited screen time. The thought that Renfield can even exist without Dracula’s influence is questionable, given his history, but that’s why the movie was made in the first place — to show that Renfield is a character in his own right with his own ridiculous life story and sense of humor. Renfield can be bloody and gory while also balancing humor, and it doesn’t need too much of Dracula’s help to get to that point.
Everything We Know About Renfield
Renfield offers a comedic take on old horror and reintroduces Dracula and Renfield to modern audiences. However, Renfield takes the stage as the main protagonist over the famous vampire icon. With Renfield having spent years working to bring Dracula his daily dose of human blood, he finds himself considering betraying Dracula to weaken him. Running afoul of mobsters and police officers, Renfield has to decide who he really wants to work for while also feeding on bugs to gain superhuman strength. With Cage’s Dracula described as a “sh*tty boss,” Renfield will likely turn toward the side of the light — as long as it doesn’t burn.
Key Release Dates
Renfield
Release Date:2023-04-14
