NBC has cast Thomas Kretschmann and Oliver Jackson-Cohen as series regulars in their new drama Dracula. Kretschmann, a German actor whose prior films include The Pianist and the 2005 remake of King Kong, will play Abraham Van Helsing, a professor with an obsession with power and vengeance. The actor, incidentally, played Dracula in a 2012 Italian horror film called Dracula 3D.
Jackson-Cohen, who has several British television credits to his name, will play Jonathan Harker, a journalist determined to climb the social ladder.
They join a cast that includes Jessica De Gouw (The Arrow), Katie McGrath (Merlin), Nonso Anozie (Game of Thrones), and Victoria Smurfit. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, known for his work on The Tudors, will star as Dracula.
The show will feature Dracula posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern technology to 19th century London. He also seeks revenge against those who ruined his life centuries ago, until he falls in love with a woman who seems to be the reincarnation of his dead wife.
NBC plans to air the ten-episode series this fall. Colin Callender, Tony Krantz, and Gareth Neame, known for his work on Downton Abbey, will serve as Dracula’s executive producers.
