After working together on “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman,” Willem Dafoe and Robert Eggers are looking to team up for a third time. Dafoe is in talks to join Eggers’ next film, his previously announced “Nosferatu,” sources have told IndieWire.
Inspired by the iconic 1922 German silent film from F.W. Murnau, which itself was based heavily on Bram Stoker’s definitive vampire novel “Dracula,” Eggers’ film sees Bill Skarsgård play the central role of Count Orlok, an 18th-century Transylvanian vampire, made famous in the original film by Max Schreck. The film follows Orlok as he obsessively stalks a young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) across Germany, bringing horror and bloodshed with him.
Dafoe’s potential role is being kept under wraps, but in addition to the two leads, he would also join the already-cast Nicholas Hoult. Notably, Dafoe played Schreck in “Shadow of the Vampire,” a 2000 horror comedy about the making of the original “Nosferatu.” He received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his performance.
Eggers will write and direct the film for Focus Features, which opened “The Northman” in the United States. He will also produce, along with Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Chris Columbus, and Eleanor Columbus. Dafoe played a minor role in “The Northman,” which starred Alexander Skarsgård, and Dafoe was one of two leads, along with Robert Pattinson, in Egger’s critically acclaimed 2019 film “The Lighthouse.”
“Nosferatu” would be the latest in a packed slate for Dafoe. The prolific actor will next be seen in Vasilis Katsoupis’ “Inside,” a one-actor film that releases March from Focus, and is part of the large ensemble for Wes Anderson’s upcoming “Asteroid City.” In addition, he’s also starring in two films from Yorgos Lanthimos — “Poor Things” and “And” — as well as Patricia Arquette’s “Gonzo Girl” and the Italian film “Finalmente l’alba” from Saverio Costanzo. Dafoe’s most recent films other than “The Northman” include “Dead for a Dollar,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Nightmare Alley,” and “The Card Counter.” Dafoe is repped by Circle of Confusion and WME.
Dafoe’s involvement in the upcoming “Nosferatu” movie was first reported by Deadline.
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