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Whether we like it or not, clearly Hollywood wants us to accept Sam Worthington as a leading man. With his introduction to American audiences with McG’s TERMINATOR: SALVATION, and his starring role in James Cameron’s record-breaking AVATAR, he’s definitely got some heat on him for the moment. Next we’ll see him in CLASH OF THE TITANS… again in the lead. With the recent news of AVATAR being the highest grossing movie of all time, folks can only wonder what is next for Worthington. Well, now we may know. It appears he’s in negotiations to star in DRACULA YEAR ZERO – a period piece movie director Alex Proyas (DARK CITY) is set to helm for Universal. Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless penned the spec script, which is said to go into Dracula’s origins, and staying true to the history of Prince Vlad the Impaler – portraying Drac as a flawed hero in a tragic love story set in an age of dark magic during a time of war. Michael De Luca will be producing.
I love Alex Proyas, and think he’s a terrific choice to head up a Dracula epic, but I’m still not sold on Worthington as a leading man. Am I the only one who keeps noticing that Australian accent slipping through? Honestly, it’s nothing against Sam as a person, but I just find him a bit wooden. In AVATAR, his best scenes (to me at least) were the ones where I was looking at his CGI-animated counterpart. I guess it took James Cameron to make him endearing… well, James and a bunch of computers and money. I’ll give him a chance though, and let’s face it, no one has got Dracula quite right in a long, LONG time. And don’t throw that Gary Oldman film in my face. As much as I love Oldman, I have zero love for that incarnation… probably because of Keanu Reeves’ wooden performance as a leading man. OH NO! Is history repeating?!?
Latino Review was the first to report this, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
I’m not in agreement with Worthings performance but I do agree that he does seem to be poppping up a lot, an awful lot for someone new to the sceene. Personally I like it when actors work their way up and earn their shot and with Worthing it feels like he somehow got hold of an actors ‘fast pass’ to the top and more then once. It’s one thing when someone you;ve never heard of gets a major starring role in a big tentpole Release like Worthing did in T4, its something entirely different when you see that done 3 times (T4, AVATAR, Clash of the Titans).
What is this guys secret?