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Perhaps due to the desperation that comes from being a perpetual third-place network, NBC is turning into the de facto horror/suspense channel. In addition to Grimm, in the coming year, NBC will be airing updated versions of The Munsters (Mockingbird Lane), Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal) and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (Do No Harm), and now comes word the peacock network has officially ordered 10 episodes of a Dracula adaptation that has been in the works since early this year.
When first reported, the series, entitled Dracula, was described as "Dangerous Liaisons meets The Tudors," so it should come as no surprise that Tudors star Jonathan Rhys Meyers will star in the new show as the famous vampiric count. The series will be set in 1890s England, with Deadline reporting the synopsis as follows:
Dracula arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier but falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.
Interestingly, Starz is working on its own Dracula series, entitled Vlad Dracula. As the title implies, this version is more historical in scope, dealing with one of the real-life inspirations for Bram Stoker's novel -- 15th century Romanian prince Vlad III -- but combining fact with the fictional vampiric elements of the book. According to Starz, "Vlad Dracula traces his evolution from a revered ruler to the world's most feared vampire, and his slow downfall as he struggles desperately to hang on to his humanity, his wife and his kingdom." I can't help but think the pitch went something like this: "Game of Thrones...with vampires!"
Sources: Deadline, Entertainment Weekly
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