The first official trailer has arrived for Dracula, the upcoming reimagining of Bram Stoker’s classic novel from The Fifth Element and Léon: The Professional director Luc Besson. Starring Caleb Landry Jones (Nitram, The Outpost) in the title role, the film explores Dracula not necessarily as a bloodthirsty villain, but as a centuries-old man chasing the ghost of his lost love. Take a look above.
A Curse Born of Grief
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“Tell me your story,” a man asks in the trailer. “My story?” Dracula replies, his voice hardened. “Four hundred years ago, I asked a priest for God to spare my wife. He did not.”
That moment — the emotional fracture — marks the beginning of Dracula’s eternal curse. In 15th-century Europe, Prince Vladimir renounces God after his wife’s death and is transformed into an immortal predator. “Tell your god my life no longer belongs to him,” he declares.
But the centuries bring more than bloodlust. In 19th-century London, Vladimir believes he’s finally found her again — or someone who looks just like her. “It’s my salvation,” he says. “No,” comes the reply. “You are her damnation.”
Romantic Horror Through Besson’s Lens
Besson, who also wrote the screenplay, has framed the film as a deeply romantic take on the legendary vampire. “It’s a totally romantic approach,” he told Deadline. “There’s a romantic side in Bram Stoker’s book that hasn’t been explored that much.”
“It’s a love story about a man who waits for 400 years for the reincarnation of his wife. That’s the true heart of the story, waiting an eternity for the return of love.”
While the idea of Dracula’s tragic love has been tackled before — most notably in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation — Besson’s version appears more focused on internal longing than operatic flair.
The director also admitted the project wasn’t born out of a fascination with the Dracula mythos. “It’s not Dracula, my fascination is Caleb,” Besson said. “We were just chatting about other roles that could work for him. I said, ‘You’d be great as Dracula.’ Then, I thought, ‘You know what, I’m just going to write it.’”
The Cast and Gothic Atmosphere
Jones reunites with Besson after their work on DogMan, and leads a cast that includes Zoë Bleu Sidel as Elisabeta (and her 19th-century counterpart, Mina), Christoph Waltz as a vampire-hunting priest, and Matilda De Angelis as Mina’s friend Maria. The film will be presented in English and is said to be Besson’s most ambitious production since Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
The trailer teases moody visuals, haunting landscapes, and an operatic tone, with glimpses of blood-soaked halls, candlelit churches, and a man haunted by centuries of regret.
Release Date
Dracula opens in French cinemas on July 30. Other international dates, including Australia, should be announced soon.
