Acclaimed filmmaker, Robert Eggers, fresh off Viking epic The Northman, is gunning for an A-lister vampiric collaboration. In an interview with Slash Film, the director shared how he wants none other than Willem Dafoe to be part of his highly anticipated remake of the 1922 horror movie Nosferatu.
Few films are as iconic or influential as the unofficial and unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, Nosferatu. Directed by F.W. Murnau, the flick tells the story of the vampire Count Orlok, who preys on a town in Transylvania. Throughout the monster movie, we see the eerie vampire go on to terrorise the innocent real estate agent Thomas Hutter and his wife, Ellen. In 2015, Eggers, whose previous credits include the like of The Witch, announced that he would be bringing the famous story back to the big screen in a new remake, pleasing all of the spooky genre’s long-time fans.
However, after several delays, such as Harry Styles pulling out of a leading role due to scheduling conflicts, the film has been in limbo, with many wondering if it will ever be made at all. Although Eggers didn’t provide any solid confirmation on the film’s development, he did confirm that if Nosferatu does go ahead, frequent collaborator Dafoe must be on board in some aspect.
“Nosferatu is such an incredibly important film and story for me, so it’s always percolating,” Eggers explained. “If Willem… if Nosferatu is made, Willem better damn well be in it because I just love working with him but, you know, maybe he would play Ellen? Who knows.”
Hearing that Eggers wants Dafoe in his film is not surprising. The actor and director have worked together multiple times before. Previously Dafoe starred in the 2019 black and white drama movie, The Lighthouse alongside Robert Pattinson. The star can also be seen in Eggers’ latest flick, The Northman.
Although nothing has been confirmed just yet, Willem Dafoe as a potential Count Orlok just seems to make sense. If anyone can do the spooky vampire justice, it would be him. If the film gets made and the star commits to the project, he will join his Northman co-star Anya Taylor-Joy, who is also slated to appear in the remake.
For now, we have The Northman, which our Anthony McGlynn called “as awesome as you imagine it is” in his review. Alexander Skarsgård stars in the Norse thriller, retelling Amleth, the legend on which Shakespeare’s Hamlet is based.
The Northman is set to hit theatres on April 15 in the UK, and on April 22 in the US.