While Jonathan Rhys-Meyers prepares to transform himself into the king of vampires for NBC's 'Dracula' TV show, Luke Evans will be handling the character for Universal's big-screen re-imagining of the legendary character.

Evans has remained in the shadows of such movies like 'The Three Musketeers,' 'Immortals,' and the upcoming 'Fast and Furious 6' and 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.' Now, according to THR, he's getting his first leading, studio-funded role in 'Dracula.'

Formerly titled 'Dracula Year Zero' (why on Earth would Universal want to change that?),  the film will be an historical-based origin story to the very first vampire. Here's the first bit of plot details:

The script tells of a young prince who, when the lives of his wife and child are put in danger by a bloodthirsty sultan, risks his soul to save them, and in the process becomes the first vampire.

Gary Shore is making his directorial debut on 'Dracula,' which hopes to start shooting later this year. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless wrote the script, while Michael De Luca is producing and Alissa Phillips is executive producing.

So what do you think? Does this sound like a retelling of 'Dracula' worthy of modern audiences? Does Luke Evans have what it takes to take on the role?

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