Willem Dafoehas shared a small piece of information about his role in the upcomingNosferaturemake, which is directed by Robert Eggers. Having previouslyshared too much information about hisBeetlejuice 2character, the actor exercised more restraint when it came to the upcoming vampire movie. During an interview withDeadline, Dafoe was asked about the highly anticipated film. Dafoe said in response:
I play kind of a Van Helsing type of character. It’s an invented character, but it’s a good character, and I’m excited about that.
Fans were presented with a first glimpse of Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz in 2024’sNosferatu, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly (below):
Eggers set the scene from the image, which not only features Dafoe’s “crazy vampire hunter,” but the writer/director reveals that the actor was on set with a couple of thousand tiny co-stars. Eggers said in an exclusive interview withEW:
That sequence, aside from having real flames, had 2,000 real rats, which was challenging but also fun.
The originalNosferatu(1922) found life 101 years ago and was directed by F.W. Murnau. The silent movie, while a blatant, unauthorized adaptation of the source material, is the first film to feature the character of Dracula from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name.
Related:Shadow of the Vampire: Willem Dafoe’s Dracula Movie and the Legend of Max Schreck
Nosferatu is a Promising Take on Dracula
Writer and director Robert Eggers’NosferatustarsWillem Dafoe, but the actor was already serendipitouslytied to the material after having starred in 2000’sShadow of the Vampire. In that film, which tells the story of F. W. Murnau (John Malkovich) making the famous silent movie, Dafoe stars as Max Schreck — who, of course, played Count Orlok, aka Dracula, in real life. In 2024’s version ofNosferatu, the famous fangs are now worn by Bill Skarsgård. Eggers said of his star in the same interview:
“Aside from his eyes, it’s hard to find Bill. I’m trying to not give too much away, but Bill totally transforms into something that is very unique. People are going to think it’s all digital tampering, but he put in the work. I’m super excited to see what audiences make of Bill Skarsgård’s Count Orlok.”
At the end of November, fans were given theirfirst look at actress Lily-Rose Depp inNosferatu. Depp portrays the story’s heroine, Ellen Hutter. And co-star Nicholas Hoult portrays Hutter’s husband in the remake/reimagining of the 1922 silent motion picture. Eggers also told EW:
In many ways, he’s [Hoult] the damsel in distress in this story. The main thing that makes this different from the other versions of Nosferatu is that it focuses much more on Lily-Rose’s character Ellen.
Nicholas Hoult will portray Lex Luthorin James Gunn’s upcomingSuperman: Legacy, and the actor also played the titular character in yet another Dracula-centric movie,Renfield. However, Eggers admits that even with all the star power he was able to assemble forNosferatu, there were times when the writer/director felt like just giving up on the project. Eggers said:
“The second time it fell apart, I thought, Clearly, this movie is not supposed to be made. I don’t necessarily think everything happens for a reason, but the way the film turned out with this incredible cast is the kind of thing that makes you wonder if everything does happen for a reason.”
Nosferatu, whose plot Eggers describes as “a haunted woman who’s tormented by a terrifying vampire,” is currently slated to hit theaters on Christmas Day in 2024. The horror reimagining also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Ralph Ineson.
