Fangs are officially out for Sony Pictures as the studio dives fangs-first into the live-action adaptation of its monster-sized cash cow, Hotel Transylvania. Titled Hotel Transylvania: Eternal Guests, the project reunites franchise architect Adam Sandler as the overprotective vampire dad Dracula, with wrestling titan John Cena stepping in as the hulking Frankenstein’s Monster and Selena Gomez reprising her role as the free-spirited Mavis—now in the flesh, not pixels. In a Halloween-timed bombshell at Sony’s investor day, executives revealed the film, promising a first-look trailer by January 2027, ahead of a summer theatrical rollout. “We’re not just transforming monsters; we’re transforming cinema,” quipped Sandler during the virtual panel, his trademark grin flashing wider than Drac’s cape.
The Hotel Transylvania saga, birthed in 2012 by director Genndy Tartakovsky and Sony Pictures Animation, has been a bloodbath of box-office bucks, raking in over $1.74 billion worldwide across four films. The original, with Sandler voicing the widowed Count Dracula shielding his daughter Mavis from pesky humans in his five-star monster resort, grossed $358 million on an $85 million budget, spawning sequels that each escalated the earnings: Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) hit $474 million, Summer Vacation (2018) soared to $528 million, and the pandemic-era Transformania (2022) streamed to Amazon for a cool $100 million deal while still netting theatrical scraps. Voiced by a murderers’ row—Andy Samberg as zany human Johnny, Kevin James as bumbling Wayne the werewolf, Steve Buscemi as forgettable Murray the mummy—the series blended slapstick with heart, earning Golden Globe nods and a devoted kiddie cult. But with animation’s digital sheen wearing thin amid live-action remake fever (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin), Sony’s betting on prosthetics and practical gags to breathe new life into the crypt.
Principal photography is slated to kick off in Vancouver’s rainy wilds next spring, doubling for Transylvania’s foggy peaks, with additional shoots in Eastern Europe’s Carpathian Mountains for that authentic Gothic vibe. Tartakovsky returns to helm, trading his 2D flair for a hybrid of motion-capture and old-school makeup wizardry. “Animation let us go wild with physics-defying antics,” Tartakovsky told Variety exclusively. “Live-action? It’s chaos with consequences—Dracula’s cape snags on real branches, Frank’s bolts spark for real. Adam’s energy is infectious; John’s a gentle giant who can hurl a prop couch like it’s a toothpick.” The script, penned by Deadpool‘s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, amps up the family drama: post-Transformania, Drac’s retirement dreams clash with a human-monster tourism boom, turning the hotel into a viral TikTok hotspot. Cue Cena’s Frank, reimagined as a social media-savvy influencer grappling with 19th-century trauma, and Gomez’s Mavis, now a monster rights activist navigating millennial motherhood.
Sandler, 59 and fresh off Netflix’s Happy Gilmore 2 (streaming December 2025) and the Safdie Brothers’ untitled drama, embodies Drac with the same neurotic charm that voiced him into immortality. “Voicing was easy—yell, laugh, repeat,” Sandler joked at the panel. “Now? Fangs, contacts, the works. But seeing Selena light up a set in person? Priceless. And John—man, he’s got the height, the heart, and the one-liners to match.” The comedian-producer, via Happy Madison, is co-producing alongside Columbia’s Michelle Murdocca, infusing his bro-comedy DNA into the monster mash. Expect cameos from franchise vets: James as Wayne, Buscemi as Murray, and whispers of David Spade’s Griffin the invisible man pulling invisible pranks.
Cena, 48, trades WWE rings for monster bolts in a casting coup that screams crossover gold. The 16-time champ, whose Peacemaker Season 2 drops August 2025 on Max and Heads of State action-com bows April 2026 with Idris Elba, brings physicality and pathos to Frank. “I’ve played unbreakable guys—Peacemaker, Hobbs—but Frank’s got soul under the scars,” Cena shared with Men’s Health. “Training? Deadlifts for days, plus mobility work to ‘stitch’ myself together. Adam’s got the laughs; Selena’s got the heart—I’m just here to lift the roof off, literally.” His prep includes Legacy Effects’ custom prosthetics: green-tinted skin, neck electrodes that zap with practical pyrotechnics, and a 7-foot frame enhanced by lifts. Cena’s star power, post-Fast X and The Iron Claw, positions him as the franchise’s muscle, appealing to dads who bench-press while binge-watching.
Gomez, 33, steps from voice booth to leading lady as Mavis, the bat-winged rebel daughter turned hotel heir. The Only Murders in the Building Emmy darling—Season 5 premieres 2026 on Hulu—and Emilia Pérez Oscar hopeful (streaming December 2025) channels her real-life poise into Mavis’ evolution. “Voicing her was magic, but live-action lets me dance, emote, fly—literally, with wires,” Gomez enthused in a Vogue profile. “Selena + Chef* taught me chaos in the kitchen; this is chaos in the crypt. Working with Adam again? Family reunion vibes.” Her Mavis sports practical wings (puppeteered feathers with LED veins) and a wardrobe blending goth-glam with Gomez’s street style—think corsets over joggers. Fresh off her My Mind & Me docu-intimacy and Rare Beauty’s $2 billion valuation, Gomez’s involvement screams empowerment: Mavis leads a monster pride parade subplot, nodding to Gomez’s mental health advocacy.
The tech terrors? Sony’s VFX arsenal, partnering with Weta Digital (Avatar) and MPC (The Lion King), pioneers “MonsterBlend”—a fusion of practical suits, AR overlays, and AI-driven crowd sims for the hotel’s 500-guest orgies. Drac’s castle? A Vancouver soundstage behemoth with hydraulic floors for crumbling crypt chases. Frank’s rampages? Cena on wires, smashing foam sets filmed at 120fps, augmented by particle effects for debris that “feels” throwable. Mavis’ flights? Drone rigs and green-screen harnesses, with subsurface scattering for her vamp-pale glow. “It’s Monsters, Inc. meets Beetlejuice—tangible terror,” says VFX sup Tim Miller (Deadpool). Early concept art, leaked on X with #HotelTransylvaniaLive trending at 1.1 million posts, shows Drac mid-yodel on a chandelier swing, Frank photobombing selfies, and Mavis crowd-surfing a zombie conga line.
Sustainability bites back: Sony’s carbon-neutral pledge includes electric fog machines, recycled cape fabrics, and Vancouver’s Indigenous consultants for folklore accuracy—Transylvania’s lore draws from Romanian myths, ensuring respectful nods sans stereotypes. “Monsters teach acceptance; we’re practicing it off-set,” producer Murdocca noted. Merch madness looms: Hasbro’s action figures (Cena’s Frank with detachable limbs), Funko’s glow-in-dark pops, and a Roblox metaverse hotel for virtual check-ins.
Fan frenzy erupted like a full-moon howl. X lit up with 850,000 #TransylvaniaLiveAction posts in 48 hours, from fan-casts (Elizabeth Olsen as Ericka?) to memes of Cena “hulking out” on WWE Raw. TikTok’s “Monster Makeovers” challenge, users DIY-ing Drac capes, hit 200 million views. Purists howl at the shift—”Animation’s charm is the squash-and-stretch; live-action risks uncanny valley,” tweeted animator Glen Keane. Yet, polls on Reddit’s r/SonyAnimation show 72% excitement, buoyed by Gomez’s return. “Selena as live Mavis? Instant buy,” gushed one thread with 45k upvotes.
Box-office oracles at Box Office Mojo forecast a $1 billion-plus global haul, rivaling The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s animated apex. “Post-pandemic, families crave communal scares with laughs,” analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Deadline. “Sandler’s draw, Cena’s muscle, Gomez’s glow—it’s a perfect storm.” Critics like The Hollywood Reporter‘s Rebecca Keegan praise the pivot: “If Sony nails the heart amid the horror, this could eclipse The Addams Family remake.”
As Vancouver’s lots hum and capes flutter, Eternal Guests promises more than a remake—it’s a resurrection. In a world weary of reboots, will this monster mash mesmerize or mummify? By January 2027’s trailer drop, when Drac winks at the camera with Sandler’s smirk, audiences might just book that eternal stay. After all, in Hotel Transylvania, the party’s undead—louder, funnier, forever.
