Actor Willem Dafoe has signed on to star alongside John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Orlando Jones and Salma Hayek in Universal’s upcoming horror thriller “Cirque du Freak,” according to ShockTillYouDrop.com.

Based on a series of books by Darren Shan, the film centers on a young man who attends an illegal freak show and later decides to join the club. Before he knows it, he finds himself at the center of a nasty feud between vampires and their rival clan.

Dafoe jumps into the role of one of the film’s vampires. “American Dreamz” helmer Paul Weitz is directing a script by Brian Helgeland, whose writing credits include Curtis Hanson’s “L.A. Confidential” and Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River.”    

Dafoe was last seen in Paul Schrader’s “The Walker.” He recently wrapped filming for Schrader’s war drama “Adam Resurrected” and Michael and Peter Spierig’s action drama “Daybreakers,” in which he stars alongside Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill.