Robert Eggers, whose credits include The Witch and Nosferatu, says the creature feature Werwulf is his darkest story yet
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 recently announced Labyrinth sequel, but in another recently announced project: the creature feature Werwulf, which he’s making for Focus Features, aiming for a Christmas Day 2026 theatrical release.
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.“
Eggers and Sjón are producing Werwulf with Focus Features. Chris and Eleanor Columbus, who worked with Eggers on Nosferatu, will serve as executive producers.
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.” You can see him saying this right here:
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 has also managed to earn almost $173 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.
Are you looking forward to Werwulf, and are you excited to hear that it’s the darkest thing Robert Eggers has ever written? Share your thoughts on this upcoming creature feature by leaving a comment below.
