Universal got cold feet about making the Sheriff of Nottingham a hero in Ridley Scott's upcoming "Robin Hood," but they're willing to take the chance on getting audiences to root for the world's most famous vampire (and no, it's not Edward Cullen).

Reuters and Latino Review reports Sam Worthington is in negotiations to make "Dracula Year Zero" his first film since the massive success of "Avatar." Alex Proyas ("Knowing," "I Robot") would direct the period project which would find Worthington playing true historical figure Prince Vlad the Impaler. The film would depict Vlad as an anti-hero set "in a dark age of magic and war."

Worthington has made Sci-Fi and Fantasy a mainstay of his career in Hollywood so far. He starred in last summer's "Terminator Salvation" and will hit screens as Peseus in "Clash of the Titans" in March. On the non-genre side, Worthington also has the thriller "The Debt" with Helen Mirren" in the can.

No word on when "Dracula Year Zero" could hit theaters, but Universal could certainly use another franchise flick for 2011.