Bill Skarsgård and Lily-Rose Depp are set to star in Robert Eggers’ terrifying Nosferatu remake, which has been in the works for years.
The film is a remake of 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu, which was an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula.
The influential German classic followed the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) as he preyed on his estate agent Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) and Hutter's wife (Greta Schröder), having invited Hutter to his remote Transylvanian castle.
The tale is now being retold by Eggers, who serves as director and writer on the long-awaited project – something that has been plagued by various delays since being initially announced several years ago.
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However, things appear to be firing up again, with Deadline sources saying Bill Skarsgård is now lined up to star as the titular vampire, with Lily-Rose Depp ‘in talks’ to co-star.
"The pic now is set up at Focus Features, with Eggers directing and penning the script. Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Robert Eggers, Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus are producing,” the outlet said, adding that the new reimagining is a ‘gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Depp) in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Skarsgård) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him’.
The film came close to coming together back in 2019, at which point Anya Taylor-Joy and Harry Styles were attached.
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According to Deadline, it was ‘put on pause’ as the studio ‘figured out a budget and talent schedules’, before Eggers ultimately ‘pushed pause on the movie’ to move onto his Viking flick The Northman, which starred Bill's brother Alexander Skarsgård in the lead role.
A story in The New Yorker earlier this year provided a more detailed update on the delay, explaining why Styles also pulled out.
The article explained: “Eggers was supposed to be in Prague. The previous week, he had been scheduled to move there to begin preparing a remake of Nosferatu, F. W. Murnau’s silent vampire film, from 1922.
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"The new version featured Taylor-Joy, who also starred in The Witch, and Harry Styles. But, at the last minute, Styles pulled out, citing scheduling concerns. Jarin Blaschke, Eggers’s cinematographer, had already enrolled his daughter in school in Prague.”
Meanwhile, as Deadline reports, Taylor-Joy 'couldn't fit the film' into her 'busy schedule', leaving an 'opening for the role of the female protagonist at the center of the story'.
"Following a number of meetings, Voyagers star Depp emerged as Eggers’ top choice for the role," the outlet added.
UNILAD has reached out to Focus Features for comment.
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Topics: Film and TV, Lily-Rose Depp
Jess Hardiman