'Elvis' actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers to play Dracula

Jonathan Rhys Meyers will really sink his teeth into his new role as Dracula. Meyers, who played Henry VIII on "The Tudors," has been tapped to play the vampire in a 10-episode series for NBC.

Meyers is no stranger to playing icons. In addition to his long-running role as Henry VIII on "The Tudors," he also played the one and only Elvis Presley in a 2005 miniseries. Meyers won a Golden Globe award for his performance as the up-and-coming rocker (think pre-electric jumpsuit) intent on changing the world of music.

While it can be argued that the Elvis miniseries stayed pretty close to the source material, the upcoming version of "Dracula" is taking some liberties with the classic Bram Stoker tale.

Deadline reports that in this version, Dracula will arrive in London, where he poses as an American entrepreneur and scientist. Of course, that is but a ruse. Dracula's real goal is to exact revenge on the people who ruined his life many years before. Dracula then falls for a woman who appears to be the reincarnation of his dead wife. Insiders have called the series “‘Dangerous Liaisons’ meets ‘The Tudors.’”

With "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" hitting theaters this fall and putting an end to the "Twilight" saga, fans of the sexy undead (who don't watch "True Blood") will be looking for a new fix. Who better than the king of all vampires to carry on the torch?


See Meyers as King Henry VIII in this clip from "The Tudors":