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Ron Perlman Taking Over as Elvis in Bubba Nosferatu

by Alex Billington
October 31, 2008
Source: Ain't It Cool News

If there's one cult classic horror movie worth mentioning on Halloween, it's Bubba Ho-Tep. While I'm not personally the biggest fan of the film, it has a cult following like no other, fueled primarily by Bruce Campbell's appearance as badass retirement home Elvis. Bubba Ho-Tep first premiered in 2003 but didn't hit DVD until 2005, eventually making a respectable $1.2 million through art house bookings. Don Coscarelli, who wrote and directed the film, has been hard at work trying to get his prequel in development as well, titled Bubba Nosferatu. But when Bruce Campbell decided not to return, they were stuck trying to figure out who they could replace him with, but they finally found him - Ron Perlman.

So the story goes that Quint from Ain't It Cool News got a call from Paul Giamatti himself in order to reveal this casting tidbit. Why Paul Giamatti? Well, Giamatti is also cast in the film as Col. Parker, who was Elvis' real life manager that is, arguably, responsible for a lot of what happened to Elvis. So it's fitting that this prequel, which again focuses on a badass undead-killin' Elvis, would feature Col. Parker. The official title for the prequel is actually Bubba Nosferatu and the Curse of the She-Vampires, because the story takes us to Louisiana where Elvis encounters a "coven of she-vampires" while shooting a film. Already sounds like the makings of another cult classic, as long as Perlman can fill the shoes of Bruce Campbell.

Giamatti explains that he's been working closely with Coscarelli and that is was challenge for them to replace someone as iconic as Bruce. But when they called up Perlman and he showed interest, they knew he was the perfect fit. "Our thinking was kind of like, 'Well who the hell do we find who is a really good actor and a guy who is going to fit right?' You know what I mean? It was sort of like, for a while we let the thing sit and then all of a sudden we were like 'Well, maybe we should go to Ron Perlman,' which just seemed like a great idea and he was up for it." With casting coming together, they're hoping to shoot sometime next spring, when Perlman has an opening in his schedule, but obviously it's not entirely set in stone.

Hardcore Bubba Ho-Tep fans should definitely check out the full interview, it's a fascinating read on its own. As for Bubba Nosferatu, I'll be keeping my eye on as it comes together, given it sounds like it should be as ridiculously fun as Bubba Ho-Tep and because Quint has such an appreciation for Don Coscarelli.

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