Willem Dafoe in talks to join Robert Eggers’ Werwulf

The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu writer/director Robert Eggers has dealt with some dark subject matter over the course of his career – but the darkest story is yet to come. No, not in his Labyrinth sequel or his adaptation of A Christmas Carol, but in the project he’s going to make before those two: the creature feature Werwulf, which he’s making for Focus Features, aiming for a Christmas Day 2026 theatrical release. We heard yesterday that this movie is going to be a Nosferatu reunion, as that film’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp have signed on to star in it. Now, the Nosferatu reunion is getting bigger, as Deadline reports that Willem Dafoe is also in talks to join the cast.

Nothing has been revealed about the characters Taylor-Johnson, Depp, and Dafoe will be playing in Werwulf.

Eggers has written the screenplay for Werwulf with Sjón, his co-writer on the Viking saga The Northman. Details are being kept under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter’s sources told them “the story is set in 13th century England. The script also features dialogue that was true to the time period and has translations and annotations for those uninitiated to Old English. Initially, Eggers was planning on shooting the feature in black and white, but that is no longer the case. Suffice to say that considering the setting and the dialect, Eggers is promising another deep dive into a muddy, costumed, and violent time period consistent with his oeuvre which has earned him a loyal film following.“

Eggers and Sjón are producing Werwulf with Focus Features. Chris and Eleanor Columbus, who worked with Eggers on Nosferatu, will serve as executive producers.

During a recent Q&A event, Eggers told the audience that his “medieval werewolf movie” is, “the darkest thing I’ve ever written, by far.” 

Making a dark vampire movie with Nosferatu turned out quite well for Eggers. The film stirred up a lot of positive reactions, with JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray even describing the film as a new horror classic in his 10/10 review. It also managed to earn almost $182 million at the global box office during its theatrical run. So it will be interesting to see if Eggers can replicate or exceed that success with his dark medieval werewolf movie.

Are you looking forward to Werwulf, and are you excited to hear that Willem Dafoe is in talks to join the cast? Share your thoughts on this upcoming creature feature by leaving a comment below.

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