According to Deadline, director Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) is looking to get back behind the camera after his recent acting excursion in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, entering negotiations with Warner Bros.’ to direct the upcoming Dracula re-imagining Harker, which is set to star Russell Crowe (Les Miserables, Man of Steel) as Bram Stoker’s legendary creation, the nefarious Count Dracula.
Harker is based on a spec script by Lee Shipman & Brian McGreevy (Zorro Reborn) and is envisioned as a potential franchise centred around the character of Jonathan Harker, who will be reinterpreted as a Scotland Yard detective as opposed to a solicitor. So far the lead role remains uncast, with a source claiming that “once they figure out the story then they’ll figure out who’s right to play him.”
The script for Harker was acquired by Warner Bros. back in February 2011, with Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) originally attached to direct. However, the studio are said to be keen to fast-track the project in order to begin production next year and have turned to Roth as a replacement for Collet-Serra, who is busy prepping the Liam Neeson airline thriller Non-Stop.
Should negotiations go smoothly, Harker will mark a reunion for Eli Roth and Russell Crowe – the actor having recently starred in RZA’s directorial debut The Man with the Iron Fists, which was written and produced by Roth and is due for release later this year.
