Robert Eggers' Nosferatu Is Finally Moving Ahead With Lily Rose-Depp And Bill Skarsgård
After years of anticipation and cancellation, Robert Eggers is finally getting to make his remake of "Nosferatu." Deadline has confirmed that the film is moving forward with Bill Skarsgård attached to play Count Orlock, a role made famous by Max Schreck in the 1922 original. Furthermore, the outlet reports that Lily-Rose Depp is in negotiations to play Ellen Hutter, the woman of the count's demented obsession, although her involvement is not yet confirmed.
So, what company is finally letting Eggers make this passion project? That would be Focus Features, with whom the director recently worked together on this year's "The Northman." While it underperformed at the box office, the film received critical acclaim and supposedly made a killing on VOD and streaming (via The Hollywood Reporter). Needless to say, it's not surprising that the company wants to continue their relationship with him.
Focus Features has not responded to requests for comment, although an official announcement will likely be made soon.
A brief timeline of events
The first time that Eggers mentioned wanting to remake F.W. Murnau's classic horror was back in 2015, a few months after his directorial debut "The Witch" made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival (via Deadline). In 2017, Variety reported that Anya Taylor-Joy, who starred in "The Witch" in what is now considered to be a breakout role, was cast in an unknown role, most likely that of Ellen. However, production ended up stalling on the project for a few years before it was revived yet again in February of this year, with Eggers telling Den of Geek that he still intends on making the project.
Although this remake has finally been confirmed, it does bring a few changes with it from Eggers' original vision. For starters, it appears that Taylor-Joy will no longer be attached, likely due to scheduling conflicts. The role of Thomas Hutter, a real estate agent that falls victim to the count, is also currently vacant, with Harry Styles allegedly attached to the project before dropping out. However, this is the first time we have heard of the casting for Count Orlock being that of Skarsgård, who was supposed to appear in "The Northman" alongside his brother Alexander before a "scheduling nightmare" (via Collider) caused him to leave.
"Nosferatu" currently does not have a production or release date confirmed. The original 1922 film was last remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog entitled "Nosferatu the Vampyre."