Nosferatu Remake Director Casts Doubt on Project Moving Forward, Teases It’s Cursed

In the years since initial reports emerged about The Witch director Robert Eggers developing a new take on Nosferatu, he has gone on to make two films, leaving fans to wonder when the project could eventually move forward, with Eggers himself even pointing out that he’s unsure if the project could ever come together. The project did come close to taking shape recently, until it was revealed that Harry Styles had not only been attached, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Eggers couldn’t help but point out maybe the project is the victim of otherworldly forces preventing it from taking shape.

“Dude, I don’t know,” Eggers shared with IndieWire when asked about the status of the project. “It’s fallen apart twice. I’ve been trying to get the word out because the word did carry that Harry Styles was going to be in the movie. I just want to be clear that he was going to be Hutter and not Nosferatu himself. “

He added, “I’ve been trying so hard … And I just wonder if [original director F.W.] Murnau’s ghost is telling me, like, you should stop.”

The original 1922 film is based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and features the ghoulish Count Orlok terrorizing a local town and setting his sights on Ellen, the wife of Thomas Hutter. No casting details had been revealed for Orlok, though Anya Taylor-Joy has been attached to the project virtually since its inception.

While Dracula has inspired countless adaptations, Nosferatu had previously earned a remake from director Werner Herzog, with Eggers going on to share his thoughts on that take of the material.

“Herzog’s movie — for me, and I love Herzog, he’s one of my favorite directors — but I do feel like it is uneven,” the filmmaker confessed. “Love the score, love [Isabelle] Adjani, love [Klaus] Kinski, but, like front-lit night scenes, what? That’s just Herzog doing Herzog. But the best sequence of that movie, for me, is getting to the castle with Das Rheingold, and I don’t even know if it makes sense in the film even though it’s awesome. But at the same time because of German history and German cinema history, it was his right to do that film, and he needed to do that film. I don’t know. Maybe Murnau’s telling me I don’t have the right.”

Eggers’ latest film, The Northman, hits theaters on April 22nd. Stay tuned for details on his Nosferatu remake.

Are you hoping the project can be revived? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!