Before Benedict Cumberbatch essentially took over Hollywood a few years ago, starring in blockbuster movie franchises such as Star Trek, The Hobbit, and Marvel films, he was just another dependable, respected, British actor working in relative obscurity. His big breakout moment came in the hit BBC TV series, Sherlock, which also starred fellow Hobbit and Marvel alum Martin Freeman. This version updated the staid and stodgy Victorian-era detective with a brisk and witty take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic hero, set in modern-day London. The popularity of the show went worldwide and made Cumberbatch a household name.

The team behind the successful Sherlock series, which consists of four seasons spread over seven years, has shelved future development to pursue other opportunities. Variety reports that Sherlock creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat are now collaborating on another classic of literature; this time it’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the BBC.

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It’s an intriguing, but curious, choice of subject matter. In recent years several TV and film versions of Dracula have struggled to connect with audiences (films such as Dracula 2000 and Dracula Untold, and Dracula for NBC in 2013 by the folks behind Downton Abbey). Additionally, Universal is also re-booting the character in film for their Dark Universe series of monster films.

It’s unclear whether these past efforts failed due to poor execution or a general lack of interest in the character; there’s certainly no lack of interest in vampires within recent pop culture. Let’s be honest, there have been dozens and dozens of Dracula productions since the original Bela Lugosi film in 1931 — perhaps the problem is that this character has simply played-out his popularity and/or his story is just too well-known.

Fortunately, in addition to Sherlock, Gatiss and Moffat have spent a lot of time in genre television, working on shows like Game of Thrones and Doctor Who, respectively. Gatiss also reportedly has deep affection for Dracula, particularly the classic 1958 version starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. If anyone is going to produce a version of Dracula that engages audiences and catches fire, you could do far worse than Gatiss and Moffat.

Both men are quite early in the process. Plot, casting, setting, and timeline details are unknown, but we’ll update you as soon as we know more.

How do you feel about yet another attempt to bring Dracula to life on TV? Let us know in the comments down below!

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SOURCE: Variety