Ben Schwartz Will Also Star in the Universal Monsters ‘Renfield’ Movie Featuring Nicolas Cage as Dracula

Originally announced a couple years back, Universal Pictures has been developing a solo movie for Dracula’s henchman Renfield, based on an original pitch from “The Walking Dead” creator Robert KirkmanChris McKay (The Tomorrow War) is set to direct the movie, with Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road) on board to star as Renfield.

Nicolas Cage is playing Dracula in the movie, said to be a “modern-day adventure story that is comedic in tone,” with Awkwafina more recently coming on board as well.

The Hollywood Reporter provides us with another update today, reporting that Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog) is the latest to sign on. “Schwartz will play a mobster,” THR notes

Ryan Ridley (“Rick and Morty”) wrote the script for Renfield.

Deadline explained the project, which is being produced by Robert Kirkman, “In the original “Dracula” novel, R.M. Renfield was an inmate at a lunatic asylum who was thought to be suffering from delusions, but is actually a servant of Dracula. Plot details are currently unknown, though it’s believed to take place during the present day and is not a period piece.”

The character was memorably played by Dwight Frye (below) in the 1931 Dracula.