Nosferatu is an upcoming American gothic horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers. It is a remake of the 1922 film, based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. The film stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe.
Nosferatu | |
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Directed by | Robert Eggers |
Screenplay by | Robert Eggers |
Based on | |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jarin Blaschke |
Edited by | Louise Ford |
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Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Development on the film began in 2015, following the release of Eggers's The Witch. Eggers planned to make it his second film, describing it as a passion project, but eventually opted to delay production and go on to direct The Lighthouse and The Northman instead. Frequent collaborator Anya Taylor-Joy was attached to the project earlier, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Skarsgård and Depp were cast as leads in September 2022. Hoult joined the cast the following month, with the remaining cast confirmed in early 2023. Filming primarily took place in and around Prague between February and May 2023.
Nosferatu is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States by Focus Features on December 25, 2024.
Premise
editRobert 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.
— Focus Features[2]
Cast
edit- Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok
- Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter
- Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding
- Emma Corrin as Anna Harding
- Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers
- Simon McBurney as Herr Knock
- Willem Dafoe as Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz
Production
editDevelopment
editIn July 2015, a remake of Nosferatu (1922) was announced with Robert Eggers writing and directing. The film was intended to be produced by Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen for Studio 8.[3] In November 2016, Eggers expressed surprise that the Nosferatu remake was going to be his second film, saying, "It feels ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to do Nosferatu next. I was really planning on waiting a while, but that's how fate shook out."[4] During an interview with Den of Geek around the release of The Lighthouse (2019), Robert Eggers revealed that although he had dedicated a lot of time to bringing the iconic horror film into the 21st century, he didn't know when or if it would happen. Despite that, Eggers said, "Look, I spent so many years and so much time, just so much blood on it, yeah, it would be a real shame if it never happened".[5]
Casting
editIn August 2017, Anya Taylor-Joy was cast.[6] Years later, in early 2022, Eggers was asked if he and Taylor-Joy still communicated about the project, saying, "We definitely talk about it, and I don't know why it's been so hard to make happen."[7] It was revealed in March 2022 that English singer Harry Styles was briefly attached to an undisclosed role in the film, but eventually dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.[8]
In September 2022, it was announced that Bill Skarsgård was set to star as the eponymous Nosferatu, Count Orlok, with Lily-Rose Depp cast to replace Taylor-Joy.[9] Skarsgård had originally been offered the lead role of Thomas Hutter while Taylor-Joy was still attached to star before the project was stalled for a few years.[10] In October 2022, Nicholas Hoult joined the cast.[11] In January 2023, Willem Dafoe, who had previously portrayed Max Schreck/Count Orlok in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), joined the cast after having co-starred in The Lighthouse.[12] Emma Corrin would join the cast the following month.[13] Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Simon McBurney, and Ralph Ineson were revealed to be in the cast at the start of production in late February 2023.[14][15]
Filming
editPrincipal photography began in the Czech Republic on February 20, 2023,[16] with filming taking place at Barrandov Studios in Prague by March.[17] Later that month, the crew was shooting on location at the 14th-century Rožmitál Castle in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem and Prague's Invalidovna complex, a Baroque building registered as a national landmark.[18] Some exterior shots were captured in Romania.[19] Cinematographer Jarin Blaschke said that the film was shot in color and was reminiscent of 19th-century Romanticism.[20] Filming wrapped on May 19, 2023.[21][22]
To prepare for playing the eponymous character, Skarsgård lost a significant amount of weight and worked with an opera singer to lower his vocal range, and spent up to six hours a day having prosthetic makeup applied. Speaking on his experience, Skarsgård said: "It was like conjuring pure evil. It took a while for me to shake off the demon that had been conjured inside of me."[10]
Release
editNosferatu is scheduled to be released on December 25, 2024, by Focus Features domestically and Universal Pictures internationally.[23][24]
References
edit- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 3, 2023). "Aaron Taylor-Johnson Joins Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Movie For Focus". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- ^ "Nosferatu Official Site". Focus Features.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 28, 2015). "Studio 8 Sets Nosferatu Remake; The Witch's Robert Eggers to Write & Direct". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ O'Falt, Chris (November 11, 2016). "Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast: Witch Director Robert Eggers' Lifelong Obsession with Nosferatu and His Plans for a Remake (Episode 13)". Indiewire. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Crow, David (October 15, 2019). "Robert Eggers on Status of Nosferatu, Prepping Next Film". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 14, 2017). "Split Star Anya Taylor-Joy Reteams With Witch Director on Nosferatu Remake (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ Crow, David (February 18, 2022). "Robert Eggers and Anya Taylor-Joy Still Planning Nosferatu Remake". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (March 28, 2022). "Harry Styles Dropped Out of Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Remake With Anya Taylor-Joy". Variety. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (September 30, 2022). "Bill Skarsgard & Lily-Rose Depp To Star In Nosferatu, Robert Eggers' Follow-Up To Northman For Focus". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Vain, Madison (May 29, 2024). "Bill Skarsgård Likes It Darker". Esquire. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 7, 2022). "Nicholas Hoult Eyes Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Movie At Focus". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 26, 2023). "Willem Dafoe And Robert Eggers Eye Reunion On The Director's New Nosferatu Film At Focus Features". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ Bamigboye, Baz (February 13, 2023). "The Crown Star Emma Corrin Boards Robert Eggers' Gothic Horror Nosferatu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 3, 2023). "Aaron Taylor-Johnson Joins Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Movie For Focus". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Santens, Tim (February 3, 2023). "Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe to Begin Production on Nosferatu". Tales From The Collection. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Nosferatu". FilmCommission.cz (in Czech). Archived from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ Pirodsky, Jason (March 4, 2023). "Aaron Taylor-Johnson joins cast of Nosferatu in Prague". The Prague Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
- ^ Pirodsky, Jason (March 27, 2023). "Nosferatu now filming at Prague's historic Invalidovna complex". The Prague Reporter. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Pirodsky, Jason (March 3, 2023). "Nosferatu, starring Bill Skarsgård and Willem Dafoe, kicks off Prague shoot". The Prague Reporter. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Weiss, Josh (May 31, 2023). "Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Remake Wraps Production". SYFY.com. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Squires, John (May 30, 2023). "Filming on the Robert Eggers Nosferatu Remake Has Reportedly Wrapped in Prague". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ Franklin, Garth (May 30, 2023). "Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Wraps Filming". Dark Horizons. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ Travis, Ben (November 20, 2023). "Nosferatu Will Conjure Vampiric Terror In Robert Eggers' 'Old-School Gothic' Horror: 'It's A Scary Film' – World-First Image". Empire. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 28, 2023). "Focus Features Dates Robert Eggers' Nosferatu For Christmas 2024". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 28, 2023.