Robert Eggers‘ vampire horror film will have a festive, frosty debut in 2024.
Eggers writes and directs “Nosferatu,” the reimagining of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film, which was later remade by Werner Herzog in 1979. “Nosferatu” stars Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, a woman whose soul is seduced by the undead bloodsucker Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). Ellen’s husband Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) fights to save his wife in the Gothic tale.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe also star.
Focus Features will distribute “Nosferatu” stateside on December 25, 2024. Director Eggers previously collaborated with Focus for the 2022 Viking epic “The Northman.”
“The audacious filmmaking of Robert Eggers is always a gift for fans,” Peter Kujawski, chairman of Focus Features, said, “and we can promise that his Nosferatu is planning quite the Christmas feast.”
Focus is distributing the film in the U.S. with Universal Pictures International handling international distribution.
The official description for “Nosferatu” reads: “Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’ is a Gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.”
Longtime Eggers collaborator Anya Taylor-Joy was originally cast in the Ellen Hutter role in 2016. Taylor-Joy exited the project due to scheduling conflicts. Harry Styles was also attached for the part of Thomas Hutter.
Eggers teased Depp’s performance in a recent interview with Empire magazine, saying that “The Idol” breakout star is “absolutely phenomenal” onscreen.
“I do think that there hasn’t been an old-school Gothic movie that’s actually scary in a while,” Eggers added. “And I think that the majority of audiences will find this one to be the case.”
As for Skarsgård’s turn as the titular vampire, Eggers said, “Bill has so transformed, I’m fearful that he might not get the credit that he deserves because he’s just…he’s not there. He felt like honoring who had come before him. It’s all very subtle. But I think the main thing is that he’s even more a folk vampire.”
Writer-director Eggers also serves as a producer alongside “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse” producer Chris Columbus, plus Eleanor Columbus, Jeff Robinov, and John Graham.
