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Dracula is a horror drama television series. The series, a reimagining of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, was produced by London-based Carnival Films; it aired in the United States on NBC and in the United Kingdom on Sky Living from 25 October 2013, to 24 January 2014. It was created by Cole Haddon and Daniel Knauf, while Daniel Knauf served as showrunner and head writer.
The series was given a straight-to-series commitment of ten episodes. It was cancelled after one season.
Contents
Premise
After being revived by a mysterious figure through the blood of a graveyard thief, Dracula arrives in London posing as Alexander Grayson, an American entrepreneur who claims to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he seeks revenge on the Order of the Dragon, a power-hungry organization that ruined his life centuries earlier. Abraham Van Helsing, who was later revealed to have brought Dracula back to life, is also out for revenge, and the two form an uneasy alliance. Their plans are complicated when Dracula becomes fascinated with Mina Murray, a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife, Ilona.
Cast and characters
Main cast
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Dracula / Alexander Grayson / Vlad Tepes
Jessica De Gouw as Mina Murray / Ilona, a medical student and the reincarnation of Dracula's long-dead wife.
Thomas Kretschmann as Abraham Van Helsing, Mina's lecturer at university and a former member of the Order of the Dragon. Kretschmann previously played Dracula in the 2012 Italian horror film Dracula 3D.
Victoria Smurfit as Lady Jayne Wetherby, a fashionable huntswoman who is immediately enticed by the King of Vampires.
Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Jonathan Harker, a gauche journalist who is desperate to climb the ranks of aristocracy.
Nonso Anozie as R. M. Renfield, Dracula's loyal confidant and keeper of secrets.
Katie McGrath as Lucy Westenra, a rich society girl who harbors secret romantic feelings for Mina, her best friend.
Recurring cast
Ben Miles as Lord Browning, the leader of the Order of the Dragon.
Robert Bathurst as Lord Thomas Davenport
Miklós Bányai as Szabo, Harker's friend and former co-worker at the newspaper.
Phil McKee as Joseph Kowalski, Grayson's head technician.
Anthony Calf as Dr. William Murray, Mina's father and the director of Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Jemma Redgrave as Minerva Westenra, Lucy's mother.
Tamer Hassan as Kaha Ruma aka "The Moroccan".
Production
According to co-creator Haddon, who in 2023 wrote a retrospective on the series titled The Horror of Dracula, the series was born in February 2011, as a result of his feature spec Hyde, another monster reinvention, which got on the Black List. Gore Verbinski passed on the project, and it seemingly stalled until September 27, when NBC bought the pilot script. The subsequent development and production were arduous, with an unidentified producer on the series meddling with several key decisions, and nearly causing Haddon to quit several times. The essay series drew strong praise from other television professionals for its insight and honesty about the production process, including from showrunners Mickey Fisher and Steven S. DeKnight.
The series was shot in Budapest. Prior to the series premiere, NBC released an animated web companion entitled Dracula Rising, which serves as a prequel that depicts the origin story of the titular character.