Steven Moffat is reportedly set to cast a female star as Van Helsing in 'Dracula'.
Steven Moffat
The former 'Doctor Who' showrunner is at the helm of the BBC's upcoming three part adaptation of Bram Stoker's iconic story, and it is said he is looking to have a woman play the titular vampire's arch nemesis Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
An insider told The Sun newspaper's TV Bizarre column: "[It is] considered a big risk as Dracula has such a strong following and any tinkering can get fans up in arms.
"The role is so synonymous with the men who've played Van Helsing over the years -- particularly Peter Cushing who tracked Christopher Lee in the Hammer Horror films."
Steven has co-written the upcoming show with Mark Gatiss and Danish actor Claes Bang will be stepping into the lead role.
He previously admitted 'Dracula' has been a challenge, and explained that "having an evil lead character" was a tough task.
He said: "There's lots of things that are challenging about 'Dracula'.
"Having an evil lead character is actually really difficult. That's been the main challenge I think. But how we've handled, that you'll have to wait and see."
Despite the challenges, Mark insisted it has been an "exciting" progress, and confirmed Count Dracula himself will be "the hero of his own story", rather than being portrayed as a "shadowy presence".
He added: "It's been very exciting though. Because we sort of made a promise to ourselves and the people who are making it, paying for it, that we'd make Dracula the hero of his own story, and less of a shadowy presence."
Tagged in Christopher Lee Steven Moffat Mark Gatiss