In retrospect, Universal Pictures may have made a mistake by releasing two Dracula-themed movies in the same year. While Renfield is coming out this week with a very comedic take on Dracula (and Nicolas Cage in that role), the upcoming horror flick The Last Voyage of the Demeter has a completely different tone. And if the first trailer is any indication, there are some genuine scares ahead.
The story is inspired by a single chapter of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in which the captain of the Demeter shared his account of the disappearance of his crew, one by one, until only he remained to keep the ship on course for England. In the movie, Game of Thrones’ Liam Cunningham plays the captain of the doomed vessel. However, the lead character appears to be Clemens, the ship’s doctor, played by Walking Dead veteran Corey Hawkins. Although the journey initially appears to be routine, the crew soon realizes that they are being stalked by a darkness aboard the ship.
Aisling Franciosi’s Anna is the lone woman on the ship, and if she’s not careful, she may end up as one of Dracula’s brides. Everyone else is cattle to the Prince of Darkness.
Although he is only seen in vampire form in the trailer, Javier Botet co-stars as Dracula. The other cast members include David Dastmalchian, Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapičić, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Woody Norman, Martin Furulund, Chris Walley, and Nicolo Pasetti as Deputy Hirsch.
André Øvredal directed the film from a script by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz. The Last Voyage of the Demeter will dock at theaters on Friday, August 11.
