Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be Dracula on NBC

Jonathan Rhys Meyers may have recently completed roles in “The Tudors” and “Albert Nobbs,” but he’s not ready to return to the 21st century yet. His latest role will return him to the 19th century to play the coolest vampire of them all, Dracula.

On Tuesday, NBC announced the 10-episode series “Dracula,” starring Rhys Meyers as the count, who travels to London in the 1890s. He poses as an American entrepreneur seeking to introduce modern technology to Victorian society, but in reality he’s seeking revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries before. Of course, he falls for a girl who might or might not be the reincarnation of his lost love.

The series is being written by co-executive producer Cole Haddon and produced by Colin Callender, the former president of HBO Films; Tony Krantz, former producer of “24” and “Sports Night;” Gareth Neame, also producer of “Downton Abbey”; Anne Mensah and Reece Pearson.

Dracula is having his moment in the sun, so to speak. Besides the just-announced series on NBC, Starz recently announced its own Dracula series, titled “Vlad Dracula.” That series, from “Babylon 5” creator J. Michael Straczynski, will focus on the count back in his 15th century heyday, before he became the fearsome bloodsucker.

In the feature film world, director Eli Roth is also working on a take on the Dracula story, titled “Harker” and focusing on side character Jonathan Harker. Director Neil Marshall is also working on a retelling of part of the Dracula story titled “Last Voyage of the Demeter.”

Production on NBC’s “Dracula” series will begin later this year.

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