The team behind Sherlock is making a Dracula TV show, and while that could possibly affect any small chance of Sherlock returning for Season 5, we're excited. Steven Moffat is again teaming up with actor and Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss for a revamped take on the Bram Stoker classic. Here's what we know so far regarding this exciting project.
For the first time since the last Sherlock episode, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are reuniting to bring Dracula back to television. Variety reports that the announcement so far is just that and that both Gatiss and Moffat are at work on solo projects, and have yet to begin actual work on the show. Despite little to no work being done on the series (including writing and casting), it's already being reported that The BBC is attempting to secure broadcasting rights in the U.K. Considering the success of Moffat's shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock, that isn't too surprising.
Whether the series looks to stick to the traditional roots of the Dracula mythos or attempts to modernize an old tale like Sherlock remains to be seen. The format of the series will for sure be the same as Sherlock, with each episode a feature length bit of a miniseries. Steven Moffat, who has spent the past six seasons on Doctor Who, seems to have a talent for modernizing old properties and making them feel new again. Mark Gatiss has written for both aforementioned shows so he's in the same boat, and Sherlock fans know him as Mycroft aka Sherlock's brother as well as a co-creator of the detective series. Gatiss is reportedly a self-professed lover of classic horror and is said to be a big fan of the 1958 Dracula film, so perhaps the two may be leaning towards setting things in an older time period?
Provided everything proceeds as planned, this will be the second time in recent memory that Dracula has landed on television, with the last attempt happening in 2013. That series, which was set in Victorian England, featured actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the headlining role as he sought revenge against people who had ruined his life centuries earlier. The series received a polarizing response from critics, and would only last one season. Then again, the 2013 Dracula started off in a bad time slot late on Friday nights, so it would be unfair to credit all blame towards critical response. But the audience just wasn't there to continue the series all the same.
Let's hope that Steven Moffat And Mark Gatiss's Dracula will have a better fate than NBC's failed series. While we wait for more updates regarding this potentially exciting project, there are a ton of summer programs right now that need an audience if they want any hope of sticking around longer than the season. Be sure to visit our summer premiere guide to find the premiere dates of these new shows, and once you're hooked, and our finale guide to see how much more time there is to enjoy the new show.
