Leonardo DiCaprio Producing Biopic of DRACULA’s Bela Lugosi

Lugosi, who emigrated from Hungary in the early 20th century, originated the role of Dracula on the Broadway stage in the 1920s. However, he was not Universal’s first pick to play the iconic vampiric Transylvanian Count, as they wanted a bigger name. But stage actor Lugosi came at a much lower cost, so they hired him. Director Tod Browning’s Dracula became a smash hit for the studio, launching the first true supernatural monster in American cinema. This, of course, led to the Universal Monsters franchise, including Frankenstein, The Mummy, and others.

Lugosi’s version is what we still think of when we think of Dracula. It’s still the version everyone references when parodying the character, like Sesame Street’s Count von Count, or Count Chocula. Even though Dracula made Lugosi a household name, he was forever typecast. By 1941, he was playing supporting roles in movies like The Wolf Man, or comedic versions of his own rendition of Dracula. By the ‘50s, he began starring in Z-list Ed Wood-directed movies to pay his rent. He became so identified with Dracula, when he died in 1956, they even buried him in his cape. However, Hollywood horror wouldn’t exist without the success of his Dracula. And so it’s about time he got his flowers with a proper biopic.