After Nosferatu, Robert Eggert is Already Planning the Future

Happy horrific holidays with the first famous vampire of cinema, whose director is never running out of ideas.

Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name, a movie that introduced the first famous vampire figure in cinema, of course directly inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Despite not being the first adaptation, the silent film is now still available to watch (for free!), unlike the Hungarian movie Drakula halála, now a lost film, who was released one year before Nosferatu.

This remake features Lily-Rose Depp (The Idol), Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road), Bill Skarsgård, (It remake), and Willem Dafoe, the legendary actor who previously collaborated with the director on The Lighthouse. Released for Christmas, on December 25th, it has already won over a large part of the audience and critics, but its director is not planning to rest anytime soon.

For reminders, Robert Eggers has very recently become a master of atmospheric horror with the excellent The VVitch (2015), which introduced Anya Taylor-Joy, and The Lighthouse (2019), starring Robert Pattinson.

Robert Eggers recently opened up to IndieWire, revealing that no fewer than five projects are currently in the works. However, this doesn’t mean they will all come to fruition. Nosferatu itself was rejected no less than three times before finally being approved for production. It seems that, even for a proven filmmaker, producers remain cautious, and the green light is far from automatic.

The project he has never abandoned since 2017? A miniseries about Rasputin, the historical figure born in Russia in 1869, around whom many legends swirl due to his controversial nature, even during his own time. Close to Tsar Nicholas II’s wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, after he began to care for her hemophiliac son, Rasputin is rumored to have had numerous romantic conquests, including Alexandra herself. His alleged influence over the ruling family was so great that it was decided he had to be eliminated. And yet, he began life as a simple peasant, making his story all the more fascinating.

Of course, others know Rasputin as the villain in Anastasia, the animated film that depicts the fictional life of a princess whos family has been cursed by Rasputin and kicked out of Russia, leaving the young girl behind during their escape. Often mistakenly attributed to Disney, the film was inspired by the story of a young woman who falsely claimed to be the princess Anastasia (17 at the time of her death) before the deception was uncovered. Her entire family was assassinated alongside her by the Bolsheviks: her parents, Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra, as well as her sisters Olga, Maria, and Tatiana, and her brother Alexei.

Now, the question remains: will this miniseries, like Nosferatu before it, rise from the ashes after being greenlit and subsequently canceled?

According to journalist Jeff Sneider, Robert Eggers has reportedly been chosen to helm the remake of Labyrinth, the 1986 fantasy film starring David Bowie and a young Jennifer Connelly. The remake, which is also said to be produced by George Lucas, will revisit the story of Sarah, a young girl attempting to save her brother from the Goblin King, Jareth. To succeed, Sarah must find allies in his fantastical world and complete various trials within 13 hours.

The original film is a cult classic, featuring a talented actress and, above all, the legendary David Bowie—whose replacement feels almost unimaginable. That said, if you watch Labyrinth today, the puppetry may seem somewhat dated and could benefit from modern special effects. However, isn’t that part of its charm, like so many other fantasy films of that era (The Dark Crystal, The NeverEnding Story)?

For context, the project dates back to 2016, like many other initiatives that are greenlit, shelved, or rejected before being revisited. Anything is possible, then.

Another project whose script is complete and might be his next movie: The Knight, a medieval film that could very well be epic. As a reminder, Robert Eggers had already ventured into bloody adventure films with The Northman in 2022.

The director would also like to make a Western. Is this a need to diversify quickly in order to avoid being forever seen as the eternal horror film director in the popular imagination? We’ll see, but one thing is certain: he won’t be running out of ideas anytime soon.

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