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. Filming began in October – and today, Deadline has revealed that teen actress Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who just made her feature debut in Hamnet, is in the cast! Details on her character have not been shared.
Breathnach finds herself in the middle of a Nosferatu reunion, as her co-stars are Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe.
13th Century Terror
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.“ Screen Daily adds that the story centers on a mysterious creature who stalks a foggy countryside as local folklore becomes a terrifying reality for the villagers.
Eggers and Sjón are producing Werwulf with Focus Features. Chris and Eleanor Columbus, who worked with Eggers on Nosferatu, will serve as executive producers.
Darkness and Images
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.
Have you seen Hamnet, and are you glad to hear that Bodhi Rae Breathnach is in the cast of Werwulf? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
