The Last Voyage Of The Demeter Trailer: The Long-Gestating Dracula Movie Is Ready To Dock

Universal's had an ... interesting ... time, to say the least, trying to produce movies related to the classic Universal monsters. Nobody can forget (although you should probably try) the disastrous effort to jumpstart a cinematic universe with 2017's Tom Cruise-starring "The Mummy," a movie so dead-on-arrival that it spurred two viral memes: that accidental trailer upload with no actual sound, and the ultimate cart-before-the-horse moment in dubbing the franchise "The Dark Universe" before it was ever actually a sure thing. The studio managed to right the boat somewhat with much more of a standalone approach in the years since, however, between Leigh Whannel's excellent "The Invisible Man" and, to a lesser extent, the upcoming "Renfield" (you can read /Film's review by Chris Evangelista here).

Now, however, it finally seems as if Universal is properly going back to its horror roots with its next effort, "The Last Voyage of the Demeter." Based on a famous chapter from Bram Stoker's original "Dracula" novel, the long-delayed film is finally set to become a reality as a new and unbelievably creepy trailer has been released. Check it out below ... if you dare!

Single-location horror movies have sort of gone by the wayside in the last several years, though recent efforts like "Skinamarink" have served as helpful reminders of just how powerful this tool can be. Add in the potent and immensely disturbing trappings of "Dracula," set it on a forlorn sailing ship, and it becomes difficult to believe that a movie based on one of the most harrowing chapters in "Dracula" has taken this long to come to fruition. 

We've been reporting on this project for well over a decade by now, documenting its many starts and stops over the years as several filmmakers and actors have tried to be the ones to crack the code. Now, it appears that Norwegian horror director André Øvredal and writers Bragi F. Schut, Stefan Ruzowitzky, and Zak Olkewicz will be the lucky ones to finally guide this past the finish line.

The footage certainly lives up to the promise of the iconic novel, teasing a beleaguered cast of future victims led by Corey Hawkins ("In the Heights," "Straight Outta Compton") as the ship doctor Clemens who joins the crew, Aisling Franciosi ("Game of Thrones," "The Nightingale") as what's described as "an unwitting stowaway," Liam Cunningham ("Game of Thrones") as the captain of the Demeter, and David Dastmalchian ("The Suicide Squad," "Dune") as the first mate. The cast also includes Jon Jon Briones, Stefan Kapicic, Nikolai Nikolaeff, and Javier Botet.

"The Last Voyage of the Demeter" sails into theaters on August 11, 2023.

Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula," "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo — fifty unmarked wooden crates — from Carpathia to London.