Nosferatu: First Look at Willem Dafoe in New Reboot Released

Recent weeks have seen a number of new images from the upcoming Nosferatu from Robert Eggers released, with today seeing the debut of one of the more anticipated figures in the experience, which is Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz. With Dafoe and Eggers having previously collaborated on 2019's The Lighthouse, it seemed like a perfect match to enlist the actor to star in the new approach to the gothic tale of terror, and while Dafoe has previously played a Nosferatu-like figure in Shadow of the Vampire, this time around he will be playing a character aiming to thwart the deadly Count. Check out the new photo below before Nosferatu lands in theaters on December 25, 2024.

While one of the most famous vampire hunters in literary history is Van Helsing, Eggers confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Dafoe's character has been reimagined from the source material. Eggers noted that the character of von Franz is a "crazy vampire hunter" in his new film and one he's "always loved and related to."

The sequence in the photo sees Dafoe surrounded by impressive flames, with Eggers also revealing that he shared the scene with an impressive ensemble of costars. "That sequence, aside from having real flames, had 2,000 real rats," Eggers confirmed to the outlet. "Which was challenging but also fun."

Robert Eggers' Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. The movie stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe.  

While audiences have already seen looks at the supporting cast, one of the most anticipated elements of the new film is to see Skarsgård as the titular character.

"Aside from his eyes, it's hard to find Bill," the director explained of the transformation. "I'm trying to not give too much away, but Bill totally transforms into something that is very unique."

He continued, "People are going to think it's all digital tampering, but he put in the work ... I'm super excited to see what audiences make of Bill Skarsgård's Count Orlok."

The original 1922 Nosferatu from F.W. Murnau was an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stroker's Dracula, with Werner Herzog offering up a remake of the silent picture in 1979. Eggers noted that his take on the material will shift the focus a bit from what audiences have previously seen.

"In many ways, [Nicholas Hoult is] the damsel in distress in this story," Eggers teased of the project. "The main thing that makes this different from the other versions of Nosferatu is that it focuses much more on Lily-Rose's character Ellen."

Nosferatu lands in theaters on December 25, 2024.

Are you looking forward to the reboot? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!