The remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic Nosferatu (watch it HERE) that’s coming our way from The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman writer/director Robert Eggers was first announced back in 2015. The project finally went into production earlier this year and wrapped six months ago… but if you were hoping to see Eggers’ Nosferatu sometime in the next few months, we have some disappointing news to share today. The movie is still a year away. Focus Features has announced that they’ll be giving Nosferatu a theatrical release on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, “making it a prime holiday season release.”
An unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the original Nosferatu has the following synopsis: In this highly influential silent horror film, the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) summons Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. The eerie Orlok seeks to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen (Greta Schroeder). After Orlok reveals his vampire nature, Hutter struggles to escape the castle, knowing that Ellen is in grave danger. Meanwhile Orlok’s servant, Knock (Alexander Granach), prepares for his master to arrive at his new home.
Eggers’ Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.
When Eggers’ take on the concept was first announced, the expectation was that his The Witch star Anya Taylor-Joy would be playing the Ellen role. But Taylor-Joy had trouble fitting the project into her busy schedule, and on two different occasions when Taylor-Joy was available to work on Nosferatu the project ended up falling apart. (Most recently because Harry Styles has been cast as Hutter, then had to drop out.) So Eggers ended up taking the next opportunity to get Nosferatu made, even if it would be without Taylor-Joy. Her role went to Lily-Rose Depp (Yoga Hosers).
Depp is joined in the Nosferatu cast by Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Bill Skarsgard (It), Emma Corrin (The Crown), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train), Ralph Ineson (The Witch), Simon McBurney (The Conjuring 2), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home).
Nosferatu was previously remade by Werner Herzog in 1979, with Klaus Kinski playing the title character. The 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire was a fictional account of the making of Nosferatu, with Willem Dafoe playing Max Schreck as an actual vampire.
Eggers is producing this remake with Jeff Robinson, John Graham, Chris Columbus, and Eleanor Columbus.
Peter Kujawski, Chairman of Focus Features, provided the following statement: “The audacious filmmaking of Robert Eggers is always a gift for fans, and we can promise that his Nosferatu is planning quite the Christmas feast.“
What do you think of Nosferatu getting a December 2024 release date? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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