Robert Eggers, the director behind The Lighthouse, The Witch and The Northman, had been trying to get his adaptation of the silent horror classic Nosferatu off the ground for about seven years. Now, it’s happened! After setbacks, cast changes and delays, the movie (originally set to feature Harry Styles) finished filming in Prague in Spring 2023, and according to its star Willem Dafoe it’s set to be something of a visual masterwork.
What’s the movie about? Who else is due to appear in it? And when will it be released? Here’s everything we know about Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu.
What is Nosferatu about?
The original Germanic horror fable, directed by F.W. Murnau in 1922, is based loosely on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In it, a mysterious man named Count Orlok summons an estate agent Thomas Hutter to his terrifying castle in Transylvania to help him buy a new property. Upon meeting Hutter’s wife, Ellen, he becomes infatuated with her, and decides he wants to move into a house across the street from the couple’s home in Germany. But his thirst for this new connection goes beyond the carnal and obsessive. He’s a vampire, desperate to suck Ellen’s blood and claim her as his own.
Deadline reports that the movie will follow a similar, perhaps darker and more psychological, plot: “In the new reimagining, Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) in 19th-century Germany, and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Bill Skarsgård) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.”
Who is in the cast of the Nosferatu remake?
The original plan was for Anya Taylor-Joy to play Ellen, the estate agent’s wife and Count Orlok’s love interest, but she had to drop out following scheduling conflicts shooting Furiosa, the sequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, in Australia. Replacing her is Lily Rose-Depp, fresh from The Idol.
Bill Skarsgård, no stranger to the horror genre as It’s famous Pennywise the Clown, is playing Count Orlok. Nicholas Hoult and Emma Corrin have also joined the cast as Thomas Hutter and a new character called Anna Harding, while Willem Dafoe will reunite with the director after working on The Lighthouse (2019) and The Northman (2022) together. Willem will play Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz. This isn’t the first time Willem has been involved with a cinematic interpretation of Nosferatu either, previously earning an Oscar nomination for his part in the meta horror movie Shadow of the Vampire (2000). “Willem’s up for anything and he’ll cut his arm off for the scene,” Robert said about working with the legendary actor again. “He is a fucking pleasure to work with: he was in The Northman, he was in [the upcoming] Nosferatu, I hope I never make a movie without him.”
Others in the cast include Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays Friedrich Harding (presumably the partner of Emma Corrin’s character), awarded thespian Simon McBurney as Herr Knock and Game of Thrones’ Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers.
Are there photos from Nosferatu?
Yes – but just one so far. Below is the image of Lily-Rose Depp’s character looking frightened in the presence of Count Orlok, shown only by his fingery, spiky shadow.
What will Nosferatu look like?
For a long time, film industry rumours have discussed Robert Eggers’ inspired path to capturing his chosen aesthetic for Nosferatu. Jarin Blaschke, Robert’s longtime collaborator as cinematographer, is back on board for this, and has already said the film is inspired by 19th century romanticism. Rumour has it that Robert worked to create a whole new filter and lens for the film shoot in order to shoot in almost entirely desaturated colour, with just glimpses of deep blues (and, since it’s a vampire movie, red) popping through. That would tie in well with the still we’ve seen already.
Furthermore, in an interview with IndieWire, one of the film’s stars Willem Dafoe said: “I saw some footage when we were shooting, and I can honestly say, visually, it was like unlike anything I have seen…The look of it and how it was shot was extraordinary.” Consider us excited!
Is Harry Styles in Nosferatu?
At one point Harry Styles was attached to be in the project, with Robert telling The Guardian in 2021: “I do want to be clear that Harry was going to be Thomas Hutter and not the vampire.” Harry had to drop out due to scheduling issues, with Nicholas Hoult taking on the part of Thomas Hutter instead.
When and where was Nosferatu shot?
Filming took place in Prague over three months, reportedly quietly wrapping up on 19 May 2023. Barrandov Studio — alongside other spaces in the Czech capital, including the Baroque 18th Century military hospital, the Invalidovna complex — were used as locations. Rožmitál pod Třemšínem castle was also used by the production, perhaps as Count Orlok’s historic castle.
In an interview with Empire reflecting on production for the movie, Robert shared that he’s trying to push the boundaries of his work (“I’m trying to go beyond what I’m capable of,” he said) but that a lot was going wrong in the process, much like production on The Lighthouse. “As always, it was a difficult shoot,” he adds. “Last night we were doing a scene on a ship with a lot of rain and waves, and the rain deflector, which tries to blow rain out of the lens, was breaking down and fogging.” Bill Skarsgård sucking the blood out of sailors in the midst of a sea storm? Sounds like a vibe to me. “I’m so happy to have made The Northman first and to have learned what I learned,” Robert continues. “When I think about the production plan of Nosferatu that we had the first time around, I’m sure I would have somehow pulled it out of my butt, but it’s hard not to imagine it being a failure.”
What’s the release date for Nosferatu?
Nosferatu is set to be released on Christmas Day 2024.
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