The Northman director Robert Eggers reveals why his Nosferatu remake is on hold after one star pulled out at the last minute due to schedule concerns. F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent film revolved around Count Orlok, a vampire who moves to a new town and sets his sights on Ellen Hutter, the wife of his estate agent Thomas. Max Shreck led the cast of Nosferatu as Orlok alongside Greta Schröder as Ellen and Gustav von Wangenheim as Thomas.
An unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Murnau's Nosferatu has scored rave reviews from critics over the years for its gothic tone and production design and Shreck's terrifying performance as Orlok, with many considering it one of the most influential films of both the silent film era and vampire genre. Its legacy has extended to various pop culture references and direct adaptations, including Werner Herzog's critically acclaimed remake Nosferatu the Vampyre and the 2000 horror film Shadow of the Vampire, which chronicled a fictionalized account of the making of the original movie with Willem Dafoe portraying Schreck and John Malkovich as Murnau, with it positing the actor was actually a vampire. While multiple attempts have been made at another Nosferatu remake, one filmmaker has opened up about why their effort hasn't gotten off the ground.
While speaking with The New Yorker for his upcoming historical epic, The Northman co-writer/director Robert Eggers revealed why his Nosferatu remake is currently on hold. The filmmaker was set to move to Prague with his cinematographer Jarin Blaschke having enrolled his daughter in a school there, but Eggers ultimately got a vacation when the film was put in turnaround. Though the reason why has been kept in the dark for sometime now, Eggers has revealed that it's because Harry Styles departed the Nosferatu remake due to scheduling concerns.
Eggers' Nosferatu remake was first announced in mid 2015 with plans for it to be the filmmakers' second feature film and reunite him with star Anya Taylor-Joy in an undisclosed leading role as of 2017. As Eggers went on to write and direct the acclaimed psychological horror-thriller The Lighthouse and Taylor-Joy has grown in stardom since her feature debut in The Witch, may were left to wonder if his horror remake had officially been staked at the heart. With it unclear when Harry Styles, who has recently been building his acting resume with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Eternals and Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, was cast for the Nosferatu remake or when he departed, his schedule's inclusion of Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling and Amazon's romantic drama My Policeman seems to point towards it being in the past few years.
Though there's been a lack of news in recent years regarding Eggers' Nosferatu remake, the filmmaker has confirmed that the project is still in development with Taylor-Joy attached to star, but hasn't given a timeline on when it could move forward. With the actress currently filming the dark comedy The Menu and set to begin filming the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa later this year, it seems unlikely the horror remake would get off the ground for a couple of years. In the meantime, audiences can look forward to Eggers and Taylor-Joy's next reunion as The Northman comes to theaters on April 22.
Source: The New Yorker