Awkwafina is the latest star to join the cast of Universal’s upcoming Renfield movie about Dracula’s henchman, according to Deadline (opens in new tab).
She joins Nicholas Hoult, who’s playing the title role, and Nicolas Cage, who was recently cast as Dracula. However, there’s no word yet on who Awkwafina will be playing.
In Bram Stoker’s iconic gothic novel, R.M. Renfield is an inmate at an asylum – thought to be experiencing delusions, he was actually a servant of Dracula. The Lego Movie director Chris McKay is helming a modern-day retelling of the tale based on an original story by Robert Kirkman, the comic book writer best known for co-creating The Walking Dead. Ryan Ridley, who’s previously written for TV shows like Community and Rick and Morty, penned the movie’s script, so we can expect plenty of laughs – and plenty of violence, too, according to Kirkman.
“It’s a story about him being Dracula’s henchman and how shitty a job that is,” he told the Fat Man Beyond podcast (opens in new tab) earlier this year. “It’s a fun, extremely violent comedy because I’ve got a crutch, and it’s violence.”
Awkwafina recently starred in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, playing Shang-Chi’s friend Katy. Her other movie roles include Raya and the Last Dragon, The Farewell, for which she won a Golden Globe, Crazy Rich Asians, and Ocean’s 8.
While we wait for Renfield to hit the big screen, check out our list of the other upcoming movies to get excited about in 2021 and beyond.