Los Angeles, California - Nic Cage has already kinda, sort of played a vampire on screen in his long career. Now, he's getting ready to add the most famous blood-sucker of all to his long list of eccentric characters.

Love him or loathe him, not many actors can boast about entering their fifth decade in Hollywood. Nicolas Cage has been there, done that, and got the T-shirt.

And given its popularity, that proverbial T-shirt might as well be sporting the meme-ified still from his 1989 movie, Vampire's Kiss. The endlessly quotable flick – think Cage running down the street, screaming "I'm a vampire!" – has since become a cult hit, mostly off the back of his hilariously manic performance.

Which is why the news that Cage will portray Dracula in a new twist on Bram Stoker's classic should raise expectations sky-high. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 57-year-old has been cast alongside Nicholas Hoult (31) in the upcoming Renfield, directed by Chris McKay, of The Tomorrow War fame.

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The Universal Pictures production will focus on Dracula's mad henchman, Dr. R. M. Renfield, in a reimagining of the story as a "modern-day adventure."

Rick and Morty writer Ryan Ridley has been brought on board to write the script, which is yet another reason to get excited.

All we know about the plot so far is that it will be based on an original story written by Renfield co-producer Robert Kirkman, one of the names behind The Walking Dead and a successful Marvel comic book writer.