The troubled Irish actor has recovered from an alcohol addiction and is set to play Count Dracula in a new US television series. The Cork heart-throb will play the vampire in the new NBC drama, produced by the makers of ‘Downton Abbey’. The television show will be set in 1800’s London.
A source said Rhys Meyers was the first choice for the role.
The show’s producer, Bob Greenblatt, is the same man who picked Rhys Meyers for his part in ‘The Tudors’. Now we know who we have to graciously thank for another television series with Rhys Meyers in costume.
In the series, Count Dracula poses as an American entrepreneur who says he’ll bring modern science to the Victorian society. But the vampire’s actual plan is to prey on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier.
However, things don’t go to plan when Dracula falls in love with a woman, supposedly his wife from a past life.
A show spokesman told The Irish Sun it is a timeless tale with relevant, surprising twists.
“In the world of ‘Twilight’, ‘True Blood’ and all the contemporised stories, we thought we’d go back to the original.”
Production is due to begin before Christmas although the series release date has yet to be announced.
NBC’s station chief Michael Edelstein told The Irish Sun they are delighted to have Jonathan Rhys Meyers on board for the project.
“We are delighted that [he] has chosen this project to return to television and have built an amazing team of producers behind the camera to deliver this extraordinary show.
“Since 1897, the story of Dracula has captivated readers and viewers alike and this sexy, updated twist on the classic also promises not to disappoint.”
