Despite a history of turning down non-leading roles in studio films, Nicolas Cage signed on to play Dracula. It was a life-long dream of his to portray the legendary figure.
Rebecca's father's full name is revealed to be Morris Quincy when we see his portrait on a wall of the precinct that is dedicated to officers who died in the line of duty. This is a reference to the character of Quincey Morris from the original novel, an American who joins the rest of the characters in defeating Dracula after Dracula kills his friend, Lucy Westenra.
In the original Bram Stoker novel of Dracula, Renfield is described as being at least the age of 59. Many adaptations, however, depict him as a younger man, and also having a prior connection to Count Dracula before being locked up in the insane asylum that is overlooked by Dr. John Seward.
In an interview with Collider, director Chris McKay admitted that the film is actually intended to serve as a direct sequel to Tod Browning's Dracula (1931). McKay had also attempted to have the film's trailers and poster refer to this fact, but this ultimately did not pan out.
While promoting Le Dernier des Templiers (2011), Nicolas Cage said his love for his co-star Sir Christopher Lee is the reason he makes horror movies, and Lee is considered one of the best actors to portray Dracula on screen (Cage called Lee his favorite).