Prolific director Robert Eggers has chosen his next project, and this time he will be venturing back in time to the Middle Ages as he tackles werewolves.
According to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter, the esteemed Nosferatu director wants to progress from vampires and witchcraft to their mythological cousin in his next project titled Werwulf. He will re-team with his collaborator on The Northman, Icelandic screenwriter and poet Sjón, for this film.
The outlet reports that this project was initially going to be filmed in black-and-white, but that idea has since been dropped. It wouldn't have been the first time Eggers made a black-and-white movie, as that honor goes to The Lighthouse. But Werwulf will have a unique twist in that Eggers intends to feature "dialogue that was true to the time period," using translations and annotations for the "uninitiated in Old English."
Thus far, Eggers has produced all of his films for Focus Features, including his most recent venture Nosferatu. The company will re-team with him for Werwulf and produce alongside him and Sjón.
Throughout his career, Eggers has tackled a myriad of different centuries. Werwulf's medieval era will go back farther than most of them, apart from The Northman which was set in the 10th century. The Witch was set in the 17th century, and both The Lighthouse and Nosferatu in the 19th century.
No plot details have been shared for Werwulf just yet, but there are centuries of legends and folklore for the creative to draw from. Werewolves have been mentioned in history since the earliest days of storytelling, with some of the earliest mentions going back to the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh and Greek mythology.
In Hollywood, werewolves appeared with increasing frequency throughout the 1900s, beginning with early films like The Werewolf (1913), Werewolf of London (1935), and, of course, The Wolf Man (1941). Nowadays, werewolves regularly turn up in the horror genre, such as in Leigh Whannell's remake of The Wolf Man, now playing in theaters.
Given the record-breaking success of Nosferatu, it's not surprising that Focus Features wants to continue its partnership with Eggers. Werwulf is already getting special treatment with another Christmas release date set for 2026. The studio is clearly trying to replicate the success of its recent gothic vampire film, which outperformed industry expectations and raked in over $156 million worldwide.
Nosferatu is now available to purchase or rent digitally, including the extended cut featuring new footage. The film will be released on 4K and Blu-ray on February 18, packed with extras like making-of featurettes, feature commentary with Eggers himself, and deleted scenes.