It's VLAD "the impaler" not VLAD "the undead"!
Soldiers impaled by spikes, not innocents bitten by vampire!
Of course actor Charlie Hunnam's"Vlad" script isn't about vampires, even if it is being funded by vampire cash (New Moon) over at Summit Entertainment. If The Hollywood Reporter, and all those who re-churned out their original story (that includes you Drew, tut tut!) had actually thought about what a movie centered around Vlad the Impaler would have been about in the first place, then it would have been obvious from the get-go. And while I'm on the subject, can we just make it clear once and for all that Vlad the Impaler, the infamous ruler of Wallachia between 1456 and 1462 - a cruel tryant who executed tens of thousands of men in the most gruesome ways imaginable and left their impaled corpses on spikes around the forest surrounding his castle for intimidation, has at the end of the day, very little to do with the undead villain Bram Stoker created in the late 19th century.
My hope when writing it was for the end result to be more Braveheart than 300, and I think that as its evolved, weve got a pretty good mixture of both. I labor a little bit more over the history than 300 did. I was really interested in the reality of how this man turned into the myth, and because of some of his behaviors, its actually very easy to weave that mythology in, in a true way. As a writer, you have your idea of what its going to be, and now I have to release it. Its Mandlers film. But I have a lot of faith in him, and I like him tremendously as a human being, so I feel in safe hands turning my baby over to him.Hunnam also mentioned that there was little chance of Pitt returning to his Interview with the Vampire days of putting on the fangs and pale make-up...
As I was writing it, I vacillated between thinking about myself playing the role as a fantasy [laughs], and Colin Farrell and Christian Bale. Particularly Farrell. Theres something very roguish and bad boy about Vlad, and I know Colin a little bit, and I think he has some of the characteristics that would be essential for playing this guy. I love Ryan Gosling, I think hes just incredible, but I never really thought he would be 100 percent right. The thing about Vlad is, he wasnt a conventional ruler. When he took his throne back after his father had been murdered, he did that using a contingent of gypsies, murderers, and thieves that he found in the forest; he didnt hire mercenaries. He had a real affinity for the darker side of society. I think he felt like he was an outcast, too, in a lot of ways. I think Farrell would be fantastic.Sadly, it has been a dream of his from when he wrote the script that he could play Vlad himself (he partly wrote the script because of his disappointment with the lack of good roles that were offered to him) but Hunnam is well aware of the odds against a studio putting big money into him starring, as he just isn't a bankable name. So... really cool sounding movie, and one that will hopefully faithfully translate what a bloody but smart, opportunist ruler Vlad "The Impaler" Dracul really was. In a world that has been saturated with so many vampire tales and Bram Stoker adpatations, there hasn't been many movies dealing with the factual figure, so this should be a breath of fresh air. And hopefully, it will help distinguish that Vlad and Dracula, strictly weren't the same person.