After movies like “Dark City” and “I, Robot”, it’s easy to forget that Alex Proyas started his movie career directing the live-action version of James O’Barr’s “The Crow”, which was probably as dark and gritty as you could get while still featuring a character that returns from the dead. If Proyas brings even a little bit of “The Crow” to his “Dracula: Year Zero” (they seriously need to change the title; it just sounds so … comic booky, and it’s lame even when the comic books do it), then we should have ourselves a merry good (but dark) time at the theater.

Here’s what Proyas told MTV about what he plans to do with “Dracula: Year Zero”:

It’s a fine line for director Alex Proyas, who is currently prepping his next movie “Dracula: Year Zero,” a story that he told us “sort of the origin tale that mixes [the historical] Prince Vlad of Transylvania with sort of [fictionalized] Bram Stoker [take]”.

“Oh, you’ve got to have teeth,” Proyas exclaimed. “I mean, the teeth are really important. I think Frank Langella in the ‘Dracula’ movie that was made in the 70s, I think he didn’t want to have teeth in the movie. But, no, I like the teeth. I want to see girls with a lot of teeth.”

Ok, so teeth are in. Garlic? “I think the garlic thing is kind of weird,” Proyas laughed.

And the transformation into a bat? Well…Proyas wouldn’t say. So what parts of mythology DO make it into his version? “Stakes and teeth,” the director smiled. “And we’re lots and lots of blood!”

I could do without the transformation into a bat, but you know, if he had to, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker. But the whole aversion to garlic, reflections in the mirror, and sunlight? Those, I could do without.

And one thing any self-respecting “Dracula” movie must have? Hot chicks. You gotta have hot chicks, man.