Dracula 2000 is a 2000 American supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Patrick Lussier, produced by Joel Soisson, and starring Gerard Butler in the title role along with Christopher Plummer, Jonny Lee Miller, Justine Waddell, Omar Epps, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Jeri Ryan, and Jennifer Esposito. Its plot follows Count Dracula, who, after having escaped captivity by Abraham Van Helsing over a century following the events of the novel Dracula, arrives in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 21st century and seeks out Mary Heller, the modern-day daughter of Van Helsing. The screenplay incorporates a theological subplot regarding Dracula's origins, revealing him to be Judas Iscariot.