There are no other directors today working on the same level as Robert Eggers. He exploded onto the horror scene with 2015’s intensely terrifying The Witch, blew us away with the bizarre The Lighthouse in 2019, and attempted to forge a path towards arthouse blockbuster territory with The Northman last year. That last one ended up as an (unjust) flop at the box office, though thankfully it hasn’t slowed him down, and he’s currently shooting a remake of 1922’s silent classic Nosferatu.
Along the way, Willem Dafoe has become a firm Eggers casting favorite, having appeared in both The Lighthouse and The Northman. Now, he’s returning for Nosferatu as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, and in an interview with Collider he discussed the movie, saying that it requires him to grow some impressive facial fur:
“This is why I have this mustache and [sideburns] because we’re shooting now. I start in just a little bit.”
Dafoe went on to praise Eggers’ style:
“I just love working with Robert Eggers. I had a wonderful time. I saw The Witch, and I liked it so much. I arranged a meeting with him. We liked each other. Then I did The Lighthouse, which was a fantastic experience, and I think it’s a very good movie. Then I did a little part in The Northman, which I really enjoyed, and now I get to do this. So I’m just happy to be back with him. It’s Nosferatu, his version of Nosferatu. I’m just excited to be with him again. He’s a great filmmaker, and I enjoy his company.”
It’s worth noting that this isn’t Dafoe’s first time in the Nosferatu story. In 2000, he starred in E. Elias Merhige’s Shadow of the Vampire, which is a fictionalized account of making the 1922 classic. Dafoe played the mysterious actor playing Count Orlock, who’s said to be obscure theater performer Max Shreck. They say he’s a strict method actor who will only be seen in full makeup and his scenes will be shot at night… but perhaps there’s another reason Shreck is so convincingly vampiric…
Eggers’ take on the story has been in development since 2015, and will see Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlock alongside Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Emma Corrin, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Production is now underway, meaning we’re looking at a 2024 release date.
Based on everything we’ve seen from Eggers, his Nosferatu is going to be a must-watch for horror fans.