Could we see the vampire prince return to his realm? Rumours of a Luke Evans’ Dracula Untold 2 movie (a sequel to the 2014 film) have been stirring.
2014’s Dracula Untold
It might not have been the story everyone was expecting to see, but that may be the reason why 2014’s Dracula Untold has garnered so many fans despite its disastrous box-office performance. The movie quickly became an unlikely cult classic in modern horror, and it served as a great starting point for what was supposed to be the biggest horror cinematic universe the world has ever seen, Universal’s Dark Universe (featuring classic monsters like Frankenstein’s Monster and the Invisible Man). Isn’t it time for a sequel, Dracula Untold 2?
Despite its failure at the box office, the movie got an unexpected boost in its popularity when it arrived on Netflix. Streaming has a way of reinvigorating franchises like no other form of media distribution can, and fans of the misunderstood action/horror film are already demanding the streaming giant to give the rumoured Dracula Untold sequel a chance. Will we be seeing gothic horror’s favourite monster on screen again?
Retelling the Classic Dracula Story
Part of the charm of the first movie was its approach to Dracula as a much more tragic character. This seems to be a common trend in what remains of the Dark Universe, as the same thing happened to Tom Cruise’s The Mummy. Many people know about the Romanian warlord that inspired the origin story of the title monster, Vlad the Impaler, but this was the first time that the story was told in a way that garnered some sympathy for why a man might have made the decisions that he did. What would drive him to take the blood of his own wife, Sarah Gadon’s Mirena, and complete the transformation into one of horror’s classic monsters?
The story stayed pretty close to the tale of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with even the famed Renfield making an appearance as a helper and confidant to Luke Evans’ Dracula with a changed name to Shkelgim. Although Dracula never really told the story of how the creature of the night came to be, it’s possible that Luke Evans’ return in a sequel might show a more modern take on the typical story. If you read the book, however, you will see where Count Dracula talks about his history and the history of his family, which mentions being great warriors in the war against the Ottomans, which ties in with the main character’s experience in a war against Sultan Mehmed II, and the parent’s decision not to give up Vlad’s son (portrayed by Art Parkinson).
Dracula then turned many of his fallen soldiers, including Diarmaid Murtagh’s Dumitru, who gave his life for his ruler and to protect his wife and son. Using them to win the war, Dracula then had to come to terms with the evil he had unleashed into the world with his decision to raise these monsters.
What we got in the end was not always what it was planned to be. In fact, even the name wasn’t the same. The original title was Dracula: Year Zero, with Alex Proyas attached to direct, and Sam Worthington (Avatar) is set to be one of the leading actors. Unfortunately, it was decided that this version was not the future of the dark universe (that and budget issues), and it was later reworked, and the studio went in for a second bite.
Die-hard fans of Universal’s failed horror cinematic universe might already know that Dracula Untold changed its original ending to serve as the starting point for the Dark Universe. In the new finale, we see Luke Evans’ Dracula and Charles Dance’s Master Vampire in the modern world, the streets of London, in what we suppose would be the setting for Dracula Untold 2. Ending on an appropriate cliffhanger to usher in the newer version, it was set up to be followed by a sequel.
“Dracula” is a pretty big name when it comes to horror film history, especially for Universal. That’s why seeing the 2014 film failing to garner the expected hype was such an ill omen for the rest of the Dark Universe. After The Mummy and the cancellation of the Dark Universe, the idea of a Dracula Untold sequel and a continuation of the Dracula story seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. That is until things changed radically in 2021 when Dracula awakened from his slumber — on Netflix.
As it was, there were rumours of a Dracula Untold sequel that would bring back the classic characters when it was announced in 2020 that there would be another Dracula film by director Karyn Kusama after his great success with Invisible Man starring Elisabeth Moss.
A Dracula Untold Sequel
In early 2021, rumours of a Dracula Untold sequel began to resurface after the film became the most-watched feature on Netflix the week of its debut on the streaming platform. For some fans, the movie was finally getting the recognition it deserved, while it now reached a much larger audience that was getting recommended a movie that everyone thought was unwatchable—and one that is really not as bad as its worst critics say.
Could a Dracula Untold 2 be on the horizon for the streaming giant? That might be unlikely—at the moment, at least. Perhaps the best chance we’ll ever get for a Dracula Untold sequel comes from Universal’s officially expunging the film from the failed Dark Universe.
Now that the franchise is unrelated to the rest of the cancelled cinematic universe, a Dracula Untold 2 doesn’t sound all that unlikely—that is, if Legendary Pictures can somehow acquire the film’s rights from Universal.
Since Universal distributed the original flick, any possible Dracula Untold sequel would have to be released on Peacock since Universal has agreed to release all of its future films exclusively on said platform. Despite the warm fan reception that Dracula Untold garnered during its stay on Netflix, it seems like dreams for a continuation of this Dracula story have a stake directly in its heart.
For now, fans can watch the original Dracula Untold on Netflix, as the movie remains available to stream on many territories. If you’ve never watched the flick, definitely give it a chance: at least it’s not as dull as The Mummy (to no fault of The Mummy director Alex Kurtzman), and that’s saying a lot.
Some hope that the renewed interest will lead to Netflix creating a Dracula Untold TV series. We can only hope.
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Tell us, do you want a Dracula Untold 2, and what would you like to see in the sequel? Have a look at what the Dracula Untold cast looks like now.
