Russell Crowe to sink his teeth into Dracula role for director Eli Roth

Credit: AP Photo

Russell Crowe just booked a killer role.

The Oscar-winning actor has officially signed on to star as Dracula in "Harker," a reimagining of the Bram Stoker novel that was written by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy. What's more, Eli Roth - who hasn't directed a feature film since 2007's "Hostel: Part II" - is in talks to direct. The film will center on the efforts of Jonathan Harker (written as a Scotland Yard detective in this version of the tale) to bring an end to the blood-sucking exploits of the legendary vampire.

"Harker" has been designed as the first installment of a potential franchise that will follow the adventures of the title character (who has yet to be cast) across several movies. Underlining that reality is the fact that Crowe is only contracted to star in a single film, according to story-breaker Deadline.

Roth is taking over the project from director Jaume Collet-Serra ("Unknown," "Orphan"), who left to pursue other projects. The studio hopes to begin production on the film sometime next year.

Crowe and Roth previously worked together on "The Man with the Iron Fists," a gory action flick which the latter produced and scripted with director RZA (watch the red-band trailer here). That film is expected to hit theaters sometime later this year. Crowe also plays Inspector Javert in "Les Miserables," which is slated for release on December 14.

Do you think Crowe will make a good Dracula? Is Roth the right director for the project? Any casting ideas for Harker? Let your opinions fly in the comments!

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