RUMOR: Marvel’s “Tomb of Dracula” Show Lives!
Now LISTEN: Strain to hear…the sound of a nightmare’s BIRTH!
This is not just ANY bat…no, not an ORDINARY night-flying demon. Something very SPECIAL. Something that is SOMEONE. Someone who is DRACULA.
Marvelous Marvel Readers and Marvel Movie Mavens have probably heard of the cult favorite horror comic book series The Tomb of Dracula by Gardner F. Fox (writer), Marvel Wolfman (writer), Gerry Conway (writer), Archie Goodwin (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), and others because the 70-issue run introduced Blade and his various supporting characters to the Marvel Universe. And now the series might be coming to one of Disney’s streaming platforms.
Did Marvel Studios Already Tell the Dracula Story?
My answer is no, but this a hotly contested issue in the Blade fandom. The Vampire Slayer was famously played by Wesley Snipes in 1998’s Blade and the following films: Blade II and Blade: Trinity. In the third movie, Trinity, Dracula (who is called Drake for some reason) is introduced as the big bad, but the story is kind of disappointing – so this writer is looking forward to a re-do by Marvel Studios and Snipes (crosses her fingers).
Photo: Marvel Enterprises
Because the Blade trilogy essentially chose not to tell the Dracula storyline, very few fans in the United States have ever seen the full Tomb of Dracula story on the screen.
There is an hilarious 1980 anime movie named Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned that was based on the comic series. It seems Marvel has tried to forget the movie was made so for awhile it was lost to time. However, if you feel like investing 90 minutes of your time, then you can watch the full anime in the link below.
What Is The Tomb of Dracula?
Although time has washed the comic run from many minds, there is still a gray formless production company ready to welcome fans back to TRANSYLVANIA!
Between 1972 and 1979, Tomb of Dracula readers would find the story’s hero battling his inner demons along with a myriad of supernatural threats, including Count Dracula himself. As the vampire hunters converge on Dracula’s Castle, they meet guest stars like Jonathan Harker, Werewolf by Night, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and even the Forever Man!
Photo: Marvel Comics
However, things have changed in the years Dracula has slept. New universes exist to concur. New (and old) townspeople live to suck on their blood during the night of the vampire. And there are new parental codes to navigate.
Marvel Studios Takes a Jab at Hulu
Although Dracula doesn’t seem like a property that Marvel would typically produce, Geekosity’s Mikey Sutton claims the studio is developing some R-rated television series for Hulu, which will lean into the horror. Dracula is said to be one of them.
Photo: Marvel Comics
Sutton reported that the former head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb was planning a similar horror series for Hulu. Based on insider accounts, the tipster says Loeb’s successor Kevin Feige is interested in reviving the idea and developing supernatural shows for Disney’s streaming platforms.
Last year, The Walt Disney Company announced that it will acquire Comcast’s 33% stake in Hulu over the next couple of years to give the mouse 100% ownership in the streaming service by 2024. And maybe the acquisition of Hulu will provide Feige with the incentive to create more R-rated content (like Deadpool) that doesn’t fit the family-friendly Disney+?
Photo: Michael Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock
The new ownership situation might allow Feige to create MCU horror shows without watering down the American Gothic elements (that so many fans love when reading pulpy-type horror). And, simultaneously, he can rely on the Marvel brand to lure people who wouldn’t be interested in horror otherwise.
Tomb of Dracula Might Tie-In to Blade
Sutton also hints that the proposed Tomb of Dracula series would tie in with the Blade reboot, making sense from a storytelling perspective.
Photo: Marvel Comics
Blade, the Vampire Slayer, burst on to the scene in 1972’s Tomb of Dracula #10 by Marv Wolfman (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Petra Goldberg (colorist), Jack Abel (inker), Tom Palmer (inker), Denise Wohl (letterer), and Gil Kane (cover penciler), and he was immediately ready for some jabbing.
“[Dracula], maybe you’re hot-stuff back in Transylvania, but nobody messes around with Blade, the Vampire Slayer!”
I would love to see Marvel’s retelling of the vampire mythos. What Marvel horror comics would you like to see adapted for the screen?
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