Since things didn't work out for ABC's found-footage horror-drama The River, it was looking like Thomas Kretschmann was setting his sights on returning to feature work, with Open Grave and the Russian-set war film Stalingrad among his upcoming projects. However, it looks like we'll be seeing him back on the small screen as he's been cast in a key role in NBC's upcoming Dracula series, based on Bram Stoker's popular novel.
TVLine reports that Kretschmann has been cast in the role of the legendary Abraham Van Helson in the series, which recede a 10-episode order from NBC. The drama will focus on Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) as he wreaks havoc on the Victorian society that ruined his life. Of course, he doesn't count on falling for a woman who looks just like his deceased wife. Van Helsing is known to be Dracula's enemy, however, from what TVLine reports, he might actually be more of a threat to the public than he is to the vampire. Kretschmann's character is also described as "a brilliant professor obsessed with revenge and power." Sounds like nearly as exciting a role as the title character himself.
In addition to The River, the German actor's past credits include King Kong, Wanted, U-571 and The Cape. Kretschmann's joins previously cast Katie McGrath, Nonso Anonzie and Jessica De Gouw. Also joining the series is Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who will play the role of Jonathan Harker, "a handsome and tenacious journalist desperate to become an aristocrat." We'll have to wait and see how Harker factors into the story. In the meantime, Dracula has found its Van Helsing, which is very exciting news for those of us looking forward to this series, whenever it arrives.
