Cast Party: Who Should Star In A ‘Tomb of Dracula’ Movie?
Welcome to Cast Party, the feature that imagines a world with even more live action comic book adaptations than we currently have, and comes up with arguably the best casting suggestions you’re ever going to find for the movies and shows we wish could exist. Halloween is here, and we're celebrating by imagining a film based on Marvel's Tomb of Dracula, a classic Bronze Age series by Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer.
The idea here is to bring Dracula into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Maybe he has a cameo in a Dr. Strange movie, or Strange has a cameo in this one (Quincy Harker could call on him looking for help in his war against the Lord of the Vampires).
The Tomb of Dracula film itself will mix gothic horror with globe-spanning action. I'd like to see it directed by Guillermo del Toro, who's done heroes-versus-monster stories before in films like Hellboy and Pacific Rim. His planned film about the darker side of DC Comics has never gotten out of development, so let's recruit him for a Marvel monster movie instead.
The story begins with Americans Frank, Jeanie, and Clifton arriving in Transylvania to check out an ancient castle that Frank has inherited. Clifton pulls a stake out of the wrong skeleton's ribcage, and the Count is back to wreak havoc. Soon Frank joins up with a band of vampire hunters and their occasional ally, a loner named Blade...
Ralph Fiennes as Dracula
Marvel/Fox SearchlightMarvel/Fox Searchlight Combine Fiennes' turn as the snarling Lord of Darkness from Harry Potter with his mustachioed dandy from The Grand Budapest Hotel, and you're most of the way to Marvel's take on Dracula.
Wes Bentley as Frank Drake
Marvel/FX NetworksMarvel/FX Networks Frank's our main protagonist, a human descendent of Dracula whose life is basically ruined before he meets our team of vampire hunters.
Amber Heard as Jeanie
Marvel/Warner BrosMarvel/Warner Bros Jeanie is Frank's fiancée, who's turned into a vampire by Dracula pretty much immediately.
Max Greenfield as Clifton Graves
Marvel/FoxMarvel/Fox Clifton is a total scumbag who becomes a Renfield stand-in. Max "Schmidt" Greenfield is the only actor who could squeeze any likability out of that. And he might get to come back as a Frankenstein monster in the sequel.
Joanne Froggatt as Rachel van Helsing
Marvel/BBCMarvel/BBC This talented Downton Abbey star desperately needs a role that will give her something different to do. Something like hunting Dracula.
Alfred Molina as Quincy Harker
Marvel/Sony Pictures ClassicsMarvel/Sony Pictures Classics Molina's one of those actors that can do anything, but I think this will be his first turn as an obsessive vampire hunter.
Naveen Andrews as Taj Nital
Marvel/Entertainment OneMarvel/Entertainment One In the comics Taj is a pretty problematic silent servant character, albeit one who turns out to have an interesting backstory. In the movie, we'll give him a voice and make him an equal to the rest of the team. Andrews has just the action chops his expanded role will call for.
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Blade
Marvel/ColumbiaMarvel/Columbia Obviously this is a completely different Blade from the one Wesley Snipes played. With Ejiofor in the role, we'll play up his London origins and maybe even let him wear colors besides black.
Paige as Lilith
Marvel/WWEMarvel/WWE Pro wrestler Paige has only just begun to show an interest in acting, but the role of Dracula's rebellious daughter seems custom-made for her. She's even used to dressing like a comic book vampire.