Dublin director Gary Shore’s ‘Dracula’ - which is currently shooting in Northern Ireland - will become the first film to be released in a newly struck five year co-production agreement between Universal Pictures and Legendary Entertainment.
The new co-production deal will see Legendary invest an average of $275m annually in Universal’s films within the first two years and $350m a year for the remaining three, according to Variety who broke the story.
What this means for ‘Dracula’ is a fresh injection of capital and a new incoming studio who will wish to leave their own creative stamp on the blockbuster - pushing its release date back from August to October 2014.
Location shooting has already taken place in Roe Valley Country Club in Limavady, Derry, and the film stars Luke Evans (‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’, ‘Fast and the Furious Six’) in the title role of Vlad, Prince of Transylvania.
Northern Ireland Screen, supported by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund, has reportedly contributed £1.65m towards the film, in the expectation of gaining a £15m return injected into the Northern Irish economy.
Other cast members include Samantha Barks (‘Les Misérables’); Dominic Cooper ('Captain America: The First Avenger'); and young Irish actor Art Parkinson, who plays Dracula's son in this film and Rickon Stark in ‘Game of Thrones’
Mr Shore is a graduate of both the National Film School in Dun Laoghaire and Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology and he is an experienced commercials director.
Legendary Pictures recently produced Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pacific Rim’ and Gareth Edward’s ‘Godzilla’, due for release in 2014.
An interview with Gary Shore, discussing his breakthrough short ‘ Cup of Tears’, can be viewed below:
