How ‘Renfield’ Director Chris McKay Reanimated a Classic Universal Monster (And Convinced Nicolas Cage to Play Dracula)

Nicolas Cage has recalled the first concert he ever attended to see The Who.In a newly aired segment from the April 13 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nicolas Cage partook in the “Colbert Questionert” and was asked about the first concert he ever attended.Cage revealed that his first concert was seeing The Who perform at the Fillmore Stadium in San Fransisco, before going on to explain how “blown away” he was by the performance. “Roger [Daltrey] did this incredible thing where he was spinning the microphone with the cable and he just hit the cymbal.

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Monday night. “Let me think. Listen, I know this sounds really far out and I don’t know if it’s real or not, but sometimes I think I can go all the way back to in utero and feeling like I could see faces in the dark or something,” Cage told the late-night host of his earliest memory.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Nicolas Cage took a questionnaire for Stephen Colbert during a recent visit to “The Tonight Show” and revealed in typical Cage fashion that his earliest childhood memory is actually being in his mother’s womb. “Let me think. Listen, I know this sounds really far out and I don’t know if it’s real or not, but sometimes I think I can go all the way back to in-utero and feeling like I could see faces in the dark or something,” Cage said. “I know that sounds powerfully abstract, but that somehow seems like maybe it happened.” “Now that I am no longer in utero, I would have to imagine it was perhaps vocal vibrations resonating through to me at that stage,” Cage added. “That’s going way back. I don’t know. That comes to mind… I don’t even know if I remember being in utero, but that thought has crossed my mind.”

$6 million in debt.Appearing on CBS’s “60 Minutes” Sunday, the Oscar winner recalled his financial struggles after the real estate market crashed, saying he signed up for any role he could just to be able to pay the money back.“I was over-invested in real estate,” he confessed. “The real estate market crashed, and I couldn’t get out in time.”“I paid them all back, but it was about $6 million.

“Renfield” star told Yahoo Entertainment of his regrets. “I’m sorry I did it at all.”Cage claimed on the film’s DVD commentary track that he was the one that begged for the live insects, as the original script allegedly called for Cage to simply swallow a raw egg. “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth … [they] really react,” he reportedly said.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Nicolas Cage will not be eating cockroaches on camera ever again. The Oscar winner recently told Yahoo Entertainment that eating two cockroaches on camera during the making of his 1988 comedy “Vampire’s Kiss” remains a career regret. “I’ll never do that again,” Cage said. “I’m sorry I did it at all.” “Vampire’s Kiss” stars Cage as a literary critic who becomes convinced he is a vampire. The film’s script originally called for the actor to swallow a raw egg, but Cage insisted it be a cockroach instead. As he said on the film’s DVD commentary track: “I saw it as a business decision because when people see the cockroach go in my mouth…[they] really react.”

Charna Flam Count Dracula’s bold extravagance has never been an oversight for costume designers, but “Renfield’s” Lisa Lovaas wanted to add a bit of “rockstar flair” to Nicolas Cage’s take on the Prince of Darkness. While Lovaas still aimed for a “current but timeless” wardrobe for the iconic vampire, she pulled inspiration from David Bowie as well as classic versions of Dracula. As the film concludes and Renfield seeks his revenge on Dracula, Lovaas wanted to pay homage to former versions of the vampire in an unexpected way. Audiences’ last glimpse at the horror icon is him at his most extravagant, in an ultra-luxe deep burgundy velvet suit.

Joel Dommett was back on our screens yesterday as he hosted the second episode of ITV's latest game show, In With A Shout.

The acting life isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice for the part. Submitted for your approval is one Nicolas Cage, who has revealed a major regret captured on film while out promoting his current horror comedy, Renfield, which features Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as the title servant, R.M. Renfield.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Sometimes, you find startling accuracy in the most unlikely places. Codependency and toxic relationships have long been fodder for film and television, but lately there’s been a batch of quality entertainment that does an excellent job of depicting the reality of an unhealthy relationship — and the struggle to break free from one. Surprisingly, it’s comedic entertainment that seems to be doing it best as of late. Take the first season of the Apple TV+ comedy “Shrinking,” which depicts a therapist (Jason Segel) trying to help a client (Heidi Gardner) break up with her verbally and emotionally abusive husband. It’s a character arc that rings only too true, expertly captured by “Saturday Night Live” breakout Gardner. Over on HBO Max, the animated series “Harley Quinn” has spent three seasons showing how its titular character starts a new life out from under the shadow of the ultimate toxic boyfriend, the Joker. While it’s a fantastical story that uses heroes and villains with superpowers, the metaphor is apt — Harley Quinn has no identity outside of her famous paramour and has to rebuild her life, and self-worth, on her own.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Thursday, the Academy Award winner took a trip down memory lane with the host while promoting his new film, “Renfield.”While Cage, whose real name is Nicolas Coppola, has some impressive blockbusters under his belt — including “National Treasure,” “Moonstruck,” and “The Rock” — the 59-year-old’s top five is comprised of his lesser-known work.“I’m going to start with ‘Pig’ that is my favorite movie I have ever made,” Cage told Colbert. “I love ‘Mandy,’ the movie that Panos [Cosmatos] directed. I love ‘Bringing Out The Dead’ that Martin Scorsese directed.

Stuck in a movie theater seat watching “Renfield” plod along, the answer is a resounding meh.As the Count from “Sesame Street” would say, “‘Renfield’ gets TWO stars! Ah, ah, ah.”Cage — whose career has become so goofy he recently played a parody version of himself who gets kidnapped by a Spanish drug lord — is as funny and self-aware as the evil old vampire. Crazy, it would seem, has become Cage’s new normal. But don’t come looking for a wacky sendup of the story in the vein of Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” It’s actually not even as hilarious as that director’s much-worse 1995 movie “Dracula: Dead and Loving It,” and outside of a few basic details the film has little to do with Bram Stoker’s book.“Renfield,” directed by Chris McKay, has more in common with the (far better) “Zombieland” series, with high-body-count action sequences, quick-cut comedy and an unlikely, socially awkward hero. That would be Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Count Dracula’s beleaguered “familiar,” who has been gifted an unnaturally long life in exchange for bringing the vamp fresh victims.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director A new James Bond is on the way following Daniel Craig’s exit in “No Time to Die.” While rumors circulated last year that a younger actor was being courted and that the age of 007 would decrease considerably from Craig’s era, such claims were squashed by franchise producer Michael G. Wilson. He assured fans the new Bond would a “thirty-something” actor, keeping with Craig’s age range when he started his run as 007 in 2006’s “Casino Royale.” In a new interview with Radio Times, longtime James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams explained why younger actors usually don’t fit when it comes to finding a new James Bond. “When we started, it was a slightly different feel,” McWilliams said about the last search for a new 007 that ended with Craig’s selection. “We did look at a lot of younger actors, and I just don’t think they had the gravitas. They didn’t have the experience, they didn’t have the mental capacity to take it on, because it’s not just the part they’re taking on, it’s a massive responsibility.”

Few characters manage the passage of time quite like Dracula. From the character’s iconic beginnings as a Universal Studios monster to more recent attempts to craft a shared universe, Dracula adaptations often offer the clearest reflection of both the film industry and broader societal trends.

In 2017 Universal debuted their ambitious plans for a series of reboots of their popular 1930s and 1940s horror films. Dubbed the Universal “Dark Universe,” it yielded only two features — 2017’s “The Mummy” with Tom Cruise and 2020’s “The Invisible Man” starring Elisabeth Moss — before being scrapped.

Furious Celtic Boys Club abuse survivors believe lawyers will try to argue their class action is too late. Thomsons Solicitors, representing 25 people who have made allegations of abuse, have vowed to fight the claim “robustly”.

Chris McKay returns to theaters for the first time since 2017’s “The LEGO Batman Movie” with “Renfield” on April 14. And even though McKay directed “The Tomorrow War” in between, most movie fans still associate the director with his 2017 animated jaunt that features Will Arnett as the Caped Crusader.

Variety Thursday.“Nic wanted to emote and annunciate properly, so it was important the veneers were thin,” he said, explaining that the technology allowed him to make quick adjustments to the sharp dentures when needed.In order to put the 3-D printing to good use, Tinsley had to scan Cage’s teeth and then digitally sculpt them so they could fit in his mouth perfectly.The “National Treasure” actor also spent over three hours daily in the hair and makeup chair.“It was a full head of prosthetics, dentures, full body, torso, arms, hands and nails,” Tinsley noted. “Those take time.”Cage also stayed in character for the whole time they were shooting the flick, even when the camera wasn’t on him.

Rio Ferdinand has questioned Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's decision to leave Fred out of his starting line-up for Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Newcastle United at St James' Park.