First Image of Caleb Landry Jones in Luc Besson's ‘Dracula'

Luc Besson is currently shooting an adaptation of Dracula. The film will reunite the filmmaker with his “Dogman” star Caleb Landry Jones, and Christoph Waltz is also part of the cast. A first image has been unveiled, via Deadline.

Besson, who is also writing and producing “Dracula,” and which is being described as a “big-budgeted film,” recently invited Deadline to the set. He spoke with them about the film, his career, and how Landry Jones is turning into his muse (they’re already working on another film).

Besson has framed Bram Stoker’s classic novel as a love story, following Dracula as he connects with a woman in Belle Epoque Paris, who resembles his beloved wife Elisabeta, who died in mid-15th century Transylvania.

“It’s a totally romantic approach,” Besson says of his adaptation. “There’s a romantic side in Bram Stoker’s book that hasn’t been explored that much,” says Besson.

“It’s a love story about a man who waits for 400 years for the reincarnation of his wife. That’s the true heart of the story, waiting an eternity for the return of love,” says Besson, leaving it open on whether the woman that Dracula meets is a reincarnation or not.

What I found most amusing is Besson admitting that he recently met Chinese President Xi Jinping and stated that the Chinese leader was “visibly lighting up” as he met him at a banquet in May. It turns out that Xi is a major fan of Besson, telling the filmmaker that he’s “seen all of your films.”

Besson, who is 64, has been embroiled in #MeToo controversies these last few years, but was exonerated in court twice, including in June 2023 where he was cleared of all charges, following a ruling by the Court of Cassation, the highest judicial court in France.

Besson is known for his successful streak of ‘80s and ‘90s films such as “The Big Blue,” "La Femme Nikita," "Leon: The Professional," and "The Fifth Element.” He also wrote 2008’s highly influential “Taken,” which kickstarted a slew of one-man-killing-machine ripoffs such as “John Wick,” “The Equalizer” and “Nobody.”

Besson is coming off “Dogman,” also starring Landry Jones, and which premiered in competition at last year’s Venice Film Festival.