NBC has given a 10-episode series order to Dracula, a series inspired by the classic Bram Stoker character starring The Tudos’ Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the title character.  NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt made the announcement at Tuesday’s Television Critics Association fall TV previews.

The series will introduce Dracula as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he’s seeking revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. There’s only one circumstance that can potentially thwart his plan: Dracula falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.

Dracula is from the producers behind the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning hit Downton Abbey, Carnival Films & Television, along with Flame Ventures and Playground, and will begin production later this year.

A bit more details and who is specifically involved, Dracula is based on a script by co-executive producer Cole Haddon.  The series will be executive-produced by former president of HBO Films and Emmy winner Colin Callender (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby) for Playground, Tony Krantz (24, Sports Night) for Flame Ventures, Gareth Neame (Downton Abbey) for Carnival Films & Television (part of NBC Universal International Television Production), Anne Mensah for Sky, and Universal Television. Reece Pearson from Flame Ventures is also co-executive producer.

Michael Edelstein, President, NBC Universal International Television Production, said: “We are delighted that Jonathan Rhys Meyers has chosen this project to return to television and have built an amazing team of producers behind the camera to deliver this extraordinary show. Since 1897, the story of Dracula has captivated readers and viewers alike and this sexy, updated twist on the classic also promises not to disappoint.”

Mensah, Sky’s Head of Drama, commented: “I am so pleased to be announcing our first-ever co-production with NBC Universal and we are delighted to be bringing an actor as exciting as Jonathan Rhys Meyers to Sky. DRACULA combines the biggest and best talent both in front of and behind the camera and will keep our customers intrigued and enthralled. With its dark, twisted and intelligent script it absolutely sets the scale, tone and ambition for future dramas on Sky Living.”

So what do you think of a new Dracula series starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers?  Thumbs up or down?  Let us know!

 

Tags: "Dracula", Downton Abbey, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, nbc

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