Netflix, BBC sink teeth into Dracula copro

MIPCOM: BBC1 in the UK and global streamer Netflix are to coproduce a three-part miniseries based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, with Sherlock producer Hartswood Films also on board.

Mark Gatiss

The 3×90’ show, details of which first emerged last year, has been created by Sherlock duo Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and will “reintroduce the world to Dracula,” according to the BBC.

It will be set in Victorian London and is being executive produced by Gatiss, Moffat and Sue Vertue for Hartswood Films, Ben Irving for the BBC. Larry Tanz, VP of content acquisition for Netflix, is onboard for the streamer.

The series will premiere on BBC1 in the UK and on Netflix around the world (excluding its UK service).

BBC Studios Distribution, which brokered the deal with Netflix for Hartswood Films, is handling global sales.

Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, said Gatiss and Moffatt’s “ingenious vision for Dracula is as clever as it is chilling. In their talented hands, the fans will experience the power of Bram Stoker’s creation as if completely anew.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with them and the brilliant team at Hartswood on yet another iconic British series.”

Dracula was published in 1897 and has spawned numerous screen versions, including the 1958 film starring Christopher Lee and the NBC/Sky copro starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, which ran for one season in 2013/14.