Just in time for Halloween, NBC is launching its new 10-part series ‘Dracula’ on October 25th, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the title Count and Jessica De Gouw as Mina Murray, his love interest.

In order to promote the series, the network has released an animated prequel entitled ‘Dracula Rising’ through its own site and on its YouTube page.  Set in the 15th century, the short showcases a young Vlad Tempes slaying his opponents, the Ottomans and falling in love with Fiona, who, in shades of ‘The Vampire Diaries’, will be reincarnated as Mina centuries later.  The animated short resembles a “web comic” with limited animation, and it’s really brief (and is just the first installment of a series), but it could add to the overall experience of the live action show.

Check it out below:

‘Dracula’ will stray from the classic Bram Stoker novel, pairing the title character with his arch nemesis Van Helsing.  Executive producer Tony Krantz elaborated “They’ve partnered up to fight a bigger bad, which is called The Order of the Dragon, a secret organization. This is an order of right-wing zealots who cursed Dracula and turned him into a vampire years ago.”  You can certainly see hints of that in the animated short.

That’s not the only deviation from the source material. According to the show’s synopsis, “The mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night – useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: he hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan… until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.”

Intriguing.  So instead of being from Transylvania, he’ll be masquerading as an American.  It’s interesting that they will be playing with the “new” technology of electricity.  It reminds me of the movie ‘The Prestige’.

What do you think?  Will you be checking this new series out?  Comment below.

Sources ComingSoon and AceShowbiz