Shohreh Aghdashloo has been tapped to join the loaded cast of Universal's new monster movie Renfield according to a report from Deadline. The Emmy Award-winning actress joins Nicholas Hault (The Great), Nicolas Cage (Pig), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Adrian Martinez (iGilbert), and Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog) in this new take on Dracula and his titular henchman from director Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War).
Renfield is an original story based on the characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula that follows Dracula's (Cage) minion as he tries to step out of the long shadow of his master. Once a loyal servant to the legendary vampire, Renfield (Hault) has grown weary of being manipulated and attending to Dracula's every beck and call and seeks out a new life beyond his domain. After meeting Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), a fiery traffic cop with hatred for just about everything, he falls madly in love and finds a new purpose. Aghdashloo's character will be at direct odds with Quincy and her partner Chris (Martinez) as she plays a notorious crime lord named Ella who is as bold as she is frightening.
The story of Renfield comes courtesy of The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman with Ryan Ridley (Rick and Morty) writing the script for the film. McKay's duties go beyond the director's seat as he is also producing with Skybound Entertainment's film team alongside Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst. McKay's production partner Samantha Nisenboim will act as an executive producer.
Aghdashloo's Emmy came for her performance in the 2008 drama House of Saddam which recounted the fall of notorious Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, though she was also hailed for role in House of Sand and Fog. She has a diverse portfolio, appearing in high-profile movies, shows, and games alike including the Mass Effect and Destiny series as well as 24. Most recently, she lent her voice to Ghostbusters: Afterlife for Gozer and to Arcane for Grayson, all while continuing her work for the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant and starring in Amazon's sci-fi series The Expanse. She also joined Rita Wilson as a star and executive producer for the romantic comedy Simple Wedding.
A release date has yet to be announced for Renfield.