'Avatar' Meets 'Dracula'
If you're like me, you're probably a little tired of hearing about Avatar, the supposed "gamechanger" (could this word be any more overused?) and Oscar favorite. So try not to flip out when you hear that the star of Avatar (Sam Worthington) may soon be playing the Prince of Darkness himself in Universal's Dracula: Year Zero (which, as we reported a couple of weeks ago, could be directed by I, Robot and Dark City helmer Alex Proyas).
According to Latino Review, a decision was made yesterday at Universal to decide which of fourteen potential films to greenlight for summer 2011, one of which could be this retelling of Dracula, set during the time of Vlad the Impaler, the supposed inspiration for Stoker's Count (who, as I never tire of reminding people, actually provided little more than a name, as Stoker began writing his novel long before he heard of Vlad). The frontrunner for the title role is Worthington, who will also play Perseus in the upcoming Clash of the Titans remake, and looks about as Eastern European as Captain America.
Do you we need another Dracula? Not if the film furthers the boneheaded notion that the character once really existed. Sorry, folks, but yes, he's fictional. And that's okay.
