Forget everything you know about the caped monster in the castle. Visionary director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Léon: The Professional) is returning to the big screen. This time with something far more elegant and heartbreaking. His latest masterpiece, Dracula (also known as Dracula: A Love Tale) strips away the vampire story we’ve seen so many times to reveal a sprawling Gothic romance spanning nearly half a millennium.
With the brand-new official trailer, we’re getting our first real look at a film that prioritizes soul-crushing beauty over simple scares. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of horrors to be witnessed and a flood of blood to be spilled.
A 400-Year Heartache
At its core, this isn’t a story about a predator. It’s a tragedy about a man who could not say goodbye. The film introduces us to Prince Vladimir, a man defined by his boundless devotion to his wife, Elisabeta. When she is cruelly taken from him, his grief becomes a force of nature. In a desperate act of rebellion against a world that took his soulmate, Vladimir renounces his faith and his mortality.
He doesn’t become a vampire because he craves power or blood—he chooses damnation because he refuses to let his love end. For 400 years, he exists as a ghost in the shadows, fueled not by malice but by an insurmountable grief that time cannot heal.
The Search Across Time
The narrative truly finds its heartbeat in the gas-lit streets of 19th-century London. It is here that Vladimir encounters a woman who is the mirror image of his lost Elisabeta. This isn’t just a chance meeting; it’s a collision of destiny.
The film explores the “romantic imperative”—the idea that love is so powerful it can bridge the gap between life and death. However, immortality is less of a gift and more of an agonizing sentence when you’re forced to live without your other half.
A Masterclass in Gothic Elegance
Luc Besson has always been a director with an eye for visual grandeur. This appears to be his most opulent work to date. The production design is a lush fusion of historical accuracy and dreamlike Gothic fantasy.
The Cast of the Damned
Caleb Landry Jones delivers a transformative performance, portraying Vladimir’s journey from noble prince to tormented immortal.
Zoë Bleu plays both the original Elisabeta and her modern-day reincarnation. Bleu serves as the film’s emotional anchor.
The two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz adds a layer of sophisticated gravitas to the ensemble, ensuring the film’s dramatic weight is felt in every frame.
Why This “Dracula” is Different
While most vampire films focus on the “hunt,” Besson focuses on the sacrifice. By emphasizing the elegance of the Victorian era and the raw, poetic nature of Vladimir’s devotion, this film carves out a unique space in cinema. It’s a lavish, intense, heart-wrenching experience designed for those who believe that true love is the only thing that actually lasts forever.
Dracula invites you to witness the ultimate act of love and defiance when it arrives in North American theaters on February 6, 2026.
