Young Bela Lugosi Biopic in the Works with Ed Wood Writers for Universal Pictures

A new biopic chronicling the early life of horror icon Bela Lugosi is in the works at Universal Pictures, and could be a movie that horror fans will definitely want to sink their teeth into.

The film is in development by Appian Way Productions, the company run by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson.

The film will explore Lugosi’s rise from Hungarian immigrant to legendary actor, capturing the meteoric climb that led to his iconic portrayal of Dracula.

The script is being written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the duo behind Ed Wood, the acclaimed Tim Burton film that featured Martin Landau in an Oscar-winning turn as an older Lugosi.

Unlike Ed Wood, which focused on Lugosi’s final years, this new project aims to spotlight the earlier and lesser-known chapters of the actor’s life.

It will dive into his early acting career, his journey to America, his success on Broadway in Dracula, and the impact of his Hollywood breakout in the 1931 classic film adaptation.

The story will also address the pivotal moment in Lugosi’s career when he declined the role of Frankenstein’s Monster, a decision that opened the door for Boris Karloff, and marked the beginning of Lugosi’s professional decline and personal struggles.

I love Hollywood history and the story of Lugosi is a fascinating one and it will make for a great movie! I’m excited to see how this film turns out.

Though Universal has yet to officially comment, multiple sources report the film has been quietly in development for nearly two years.

Producers Alex Cutler and Darryl Marshak, who have been pursuing a Lugosi project since their teen years, are also attached. Marshak notably worked with DiCaprio early in both of their careers.

Alexander and Karaszewski are known for crafting unconventional, character-driven stories that offer deeply human portraits of cultural figures.

Their filmography also includes The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, Big Eyes, Dolemite Is My Name, and American Crime Story. Most recently, they wrote a Grateful Dead biopic for Apple.

With Halloween just around the corner, the news of revisiting the origins of one of cinema’s most iconic monsters feels perfectly timed.

Lugosi may have been typecast as Dracula, but there’s no denying the shadow he cast across horror cinema, one that continues to loom large nearly a century later.