The Australian actor known for his roles in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Robin Hood and Body of Lies will play Transylvania’s famous vampire in Hostel director Eli Roth’s new movie Harker, which will promises to be a blood-soaked reworking of the original 1897 novel by Bram Stoker.
Russell and Roth have previously worked together on The Man with the Iron Fists, the debut film from the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA which was produced by Roth.
Harker follows Scotland Yard detective Jonathan Harker, hunting the elusive figure behind a string of horrific murders strung out across London. It is to be shot and set in London, while production is due to start early 2013.
Funded by Warner Bros., the script has been written by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, a young writing duo from Texas who are also working on a remake of Brian De Palma’s 70s thriller The Fury, a big-budget reinvention of the story of King Arthur, and a contemporary gangland adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo.
A source told Deadline.com: “Once they figure out the story then they’ll figure out who’s right to play him.”
Jaume Collet-Serra was originally attached to direct but a scheduling conflict with his movie Nonstop meant he had to pull out.
Crowe can next be seen in The King’s Speech director Tom Hooper’s new film adaption of Les Misérables.
