The Dark Bloodline Begins in ‘Dracula Untold’

Almost an entire century after the world’s cinematic introduction to Dracula placed audiences under his haunting spell, the studio that pioneered the genre reawakens one of legend’s most captivating figures in an action-adventure that heralds a pulse-pounding rebirth of the age of monsters.

Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit series) transforms from the cursed man history knows as Vlad the Impaler to an all-powerful creature of the night in Universal Pictures’ Dracula Untold, the origin story of the alluring immortal we have come to fear as the sun sets: Dracula.

The year is 1462, and Transylvania has enjoyed a prolonged period of peace under the just and fair rule of the battle-weary Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, and his beloved and brave wife, Mirena (Sarah Gadon of The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Together, they have brokered peace for their country and ensured its people are well-protected, especially from the powerful Ottoman Empire—an ever-expanding scourge that has its sights on global domination.

But when Sultan Mehmed II (Dominic Cooper of Captain America: The First Avenger) demands 1,000 of Wallachia’s boys—including Vlad’s own son, Ingeras (Art Parkinson of HBO’s Game of Thrones)—be torn from their parents’ homes and forced to become child soldiers in his army, Vlad must decide: do the same as his father before him and give up his son to the sultan, or seek the help of a monster to defeat the Turks but ultimately doom his soul to a life of servitude.

Vlad journeys to Broken Tooth Mountain, where he encounters a foul demon (Charles Dance of Game of Thrones) and enters into a Faustian bargain—one that gives the prince the strength of 100 men, the speed of a falling star and enough power to crush his enemies. However, he will be inflicted with an insatiable thirst to drink human blood.

If by the end of three days Vlad manages to resist, he will return to his former self, and perhaps in that time manage to save his people. Though should he drink, he will be forced to dwell in the darkness for the rest of his days, feeding only on the blood of humans…and destroying all that he holds dear.

In his feature-film directorial debut, Gary Shore helms the action-adventure Dracula Untold from a screenplay written by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless (Gods of Egypt).

Joining director Shore behind the screen is a top-notch crew of filmmakers, led by producer Michael de Luca (Captain Phillips, upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey), cinematographer John Schwartzman (The Amazing Spider-Man, upcoming Jurassic World), editor Richard Pearson (Maleficent, Iron Man 2), production designer Francois Audouy (The Wolverine, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Academy Award®-winning costume designer Ngila Dickson (Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King) and composer Ramin Djawadi (Pacific Rim).

Dracula Untold is executive produced by Alissa Phillips (Moneyball), Joe Caracciolo, Jr. (The Wolverine), Thomas Tull (Godzilla) and Jon Jashni (Pacific Rim).

Opening across the Philippines on October 15, “Dracula Untold” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.