Dracula’s been in plenty of movies over the years, but never has the cornerstone of Gothic literature been led by a female. Variety reports that that's all about to change with the new film Dracula: the Crimson Code, a new reimagining of the popular tale starring Amanda Jiang.
Directed by Andrea M. Catinella from a script by Enrico Tessarin, the film is also set to star Richard Brake, Joey Phillips, and Shayne Ward, with filming commencing this week. Per Variety, the film’s synopsis is as follows:
Jiang stars as Countess Isolde Dragomir, a centuries-old vampire aristocrat at the center of London’s most exclusive social circles. Her glamorous Crimson Code soirées conceal an ancient conflict between two vampire bloodlines — the Dragomirs and the Howes — and a centuries-old desire for revenge against the man who murdered the great love of her life.
When Isolde kills the son of her old enemy, she draws him back into her world. But her plans are disrupted by the arrival of Theo Mercer, a man she recognizes as the reincarnation of the lover she lost centuries earlier. Theo, however, is not simply Adrian returned. He is his own man — forcing Isolde to confront whether she can finally let go of the past.
Jiang produces the film alongside Tessarin, Catinella, and Carla Fuschillo for Starmist Films, which also produced a female-led Phantom of the Opera retelling starring Jiang, which premieres in London next week.
“I have always been drawn to the gothic atmosphere, the theatricality of it and the way those worlds can create a sense of mystery, danger and desire,” Jiang told Variety. “That was very much part of what inspired ‘City of Masks,’ and it is something I wanted to explore even further with ‘The Crimson Code.’
“With ‘Dracula,’ we have the opportunity to take that love of gothic storytelling into a much larger world. Isolde is powerful, dangerous and deeply vulnerable, and at the heart of the film is a story about love, revenge and the possibility of choosing a different future.”
No release date has been set for Dracula: The Crimson Code. Stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates.
