Dracula Prequel in Development at Paramount With ‘It’ Director Andy Muschietti – Variety

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Paramount Studios has launched development of Dracula, a prequel to the classic Dracula story, and attached It director Andy Muschietti.

Paramount won an auction for the prequel, written by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker in the Bram Stoker Estates first authorized prequel.

Producers are Roy Lee and Barbara Muschietti, who teamed on It. The story is set in 1868, where a 21-year-old Bram Stoker meets with an evil that he traps in an ancient tower.

Stoker first published Dracula in 1897 when he was 50 years old and established many of the conventions of the horror genre. The novel starts with attorney Jonathan Harker visiting Count Dracula in the Carpathian Mountains and centers on Draculas attempt to move from Transylvania to England aboard a Russian ship so that he may find new blood. Hes opposed by a group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

It is expected to be a major box office success for New Line, which opens the horror film on Sept. 8 with forecasts of a domestic launch above $60 million. Its Muschiettis second directing assignment following 2013s Mama.

The auction was conducted by Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency, Angela Cheng Caplan of Cheng Caplan Company Inc., and attorney Wayne Alexander. The news was first reported by Publishers Weekly.

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Dracula Prequel in Development at Paramount With 'It' Director Andy Muschietti - Variety

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