Ahead of the release of The Northman, Eggers has been casting doubt on his planned Nosferatu remake, stating that it might just be ‘cursed’.
There’s a growing buzz that Robert Eggers might just be on the verge of having a moment. Not only is he firmly established as an indie darling coming off the back of two visionary films in the form of The Witch and The Lighthouse, but his first bigger-budget picture, The Northman is picking up some very strong pre-release word of mouth. If Eggers can pull of that tricky balancing act of retaining his unique sensibilities, whilst also working with a $60m budget and providing a commercial success, you’d imagine he’d have his pick of any project next.
That might not be the case according to Eggers himself, who whilst on the promotion trail for The Northman has been casting doubt on the chances of his next project ever coming together.
Eggers has been trying to set up a remake of Nosferatu, the 1922 silent-era vampire classic, but according to the director, it might never happen. He’s reportedly been developing the Nosferatu remake for some years and of late, scheduling conflicts with regular collaborator Anya Taylor-Joy and Harry Styles have made things complicated. Styles, who is also set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was briefly attached to the project before pandemic-induced delays to The Northman put Nosferatu back. In turn, that forced Styles to leave the project.
Taylor-Joy is leading the cast of George Miller’s sprawling Furiosa production, meaning other commitments are proving difficult for the Last Night In Soho star.
“Dude, I don’t know,” Eggers told IndieWire when asked whether Nosferatu might still come together, “It’s fallen apart twice. I’ve been trying to get the word out because the word did carry that Harry Styles was going to be in the movie. I just want to be clear that he was going to be Hutter and not Nosferatu himself. I’ve been trying so hard … And I just wonder if [original director F.W.] Murnau’s ghost is telling me, like, you should stop.”
You’d imagine that if The Northman performs well, Eggers will have his pick of projects but for a filmmaker whose films feel so crafted, you wonder if losing key members of his planned cast might affect his passion for the project.
Whether he does indeed get around to his Nosferatu remake remains to be seen but you can check out The Northman when it releases in cinemas later this week.
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