Robert Eggers, the director behind “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” is bringing a new version of “Nosferatu,” F. W. Murnau’s 1922 classic (brilliantly remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog), to movie theaters next year. And he’s ready to share details about his retelling, thanks to a new interview in Empire, including how Bill Skarsgård disappears into his role as a villainous vampire.
“I’ll say that Bill has so transformed, I’m fearful that he might not get the credit that he deserves because he’s just … he’s not there,” Eggers told Empire about the performance.
Skarsgård stars in the new film alongside Lily-Rose Depp (in a role originally earmarked for “The Witch” star Anya Taylor-Joy), Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe (who has appeared in “The Lighthouse” and Eggers’ most recent film “The Northman”). Depp plays Ellen Hutter, who is married to Hoult’s estate agent and who falls under the spell of Count Orlock (Skarsgård). “It’s even more Ellen’s story than previous versions. And Lily-Rose is absolutely phenomenal,” Eggers said.
It should be noted, of course, that Skarsgård is following a pair of deeply iconic performances – first from Max Schreck (in the original film) and then from Klaus Kinski (in Herzog’s remarkable remake). Eggers promises that this latest performance will stand apart but still pay homage to the earlier performances.
“He felt like Honoring who had come before him. It’s all very subtle. But I think the main thing is that he’s even more a folk vampire. In my opinion he looks like a dead Transylvanian nobleman, and in a way that we’ve never actually seen what an actual dead Transylvanian nobleman would look like and be dressed like,” said the famously detail-obsessed Eggers. Eggers is known for his painstaking historical recreations in films like “The Witch” and “The Northman.”
Seems like “Nosferatu” – out sometime in 2024 via Focus Features – will be no different.
