Luc Besson’s Dracula Unleashes a Blood-Soaked Gothic Reimagining

Caleb Landry Jones transforms into an immortal warlord in Luc Besson’s dark new vision of Dracula.

DRACULA Returns Once More — Luc Besson Reimagines the Gothic Legend for a New Generation

Just when it feels like every corner of Bram Stoker’s immortal myth has been explored, along comes another resurrection. Vertical has unveiled the official trailer for Dracula, a new reimagining written and directed by Luc Besson, with the film set to hit theaters nationwide on February 6, 2026.

This latest incarnation leans hard into the gothic romanticism and tragic fury that have always defined the character. Caleb Landry Jones stars as a 15th-century prince whose life is shattered after witnessing the brutal murder of his wife. In an act of defiance that seals his fate, he renounces God itself, damning heaven and earning a curse of eternal life. Reborn as Dracula, he becomes an immortal warlord driven not by conquest alone, but by grief, rage and an unrelenting desire to reclaim the love torn from him.

Besson’s take frames Dracula less as a lurking monster and more as a cursed antihero — a figure shaped by loss and sustained by vengeance. The trailer promises a blood-soaked crusade that balances operatic violence with the familiar romantic tragedy that has fueled countless adaptations. It’s a vision that feels deliberately classical in tone, rooted in candlelit halls, medieval battlefields and the idea of damnation as both punishment and purpose.

Christoph Waltz co-stars as a relentless priest sworn to end Dracula’s immortal reign, setting up a moral and spiritual conflict that mirrors the Count’s own fall from grace. Zoë Bleu plays the murdered wife whose death ignites the story’s central tragedy, while the supporting cast includes Guillaume de Tonquédec, Matilda De Angelis, Ewens Abid and Raphael Luce.

Dracula has never truly gone away — his legend is constantly being reframed, reshaped and filtered through new eras of cinema. What sets this version apart is its commitment to pushing the character back toward his gothic roots, emphasizing brutality, sorrow and doomed romance over modern reinvention. It’s familiar territory, but approached with Besson’s signature visual flair and a noticeably darker edge.

Whether audiences are ready for yet another trip into the Count’s bloodstained legacy remains to be seen. But if the trailer is any indication, Dracula aims to remind us why this story continues to endure — not just as horror, but as a tragic myth about love, faith and the cost of defying death itself.

Dracula opens in theaters nationwide February 6, 2026, from Vertical.

Written, Directed & Produced by Luc Besson

Executive Produced by Mark Canton, Dorothy Canton, Ryan Winterstern and Philippe Corrot

Starring Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, Guillaume de Tonquedec, Matilda de Angelis, Ewens Abid, Raphael Luce

When a 15th-century prince (Caleb Landry Jones) witnesses the brutal murder of his wife (Zoë Bleu), he renounces God and damns heaven itself. Cursed with eternal life, he is reborn as Dracula, an immortal warlord who defies fate in a blood-soaked crusade to wrench his lost love back from death, no matter the cost. On the verge of reuniting, Dracula is hunted by a relentless priest (Christoph Waltz), sworn to end his immortal reign.