According to Deadline, Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe has signed on to join the cast of Focus Features’ upcoming reimagining of the classic gothic tale Nosferatu. The project reunites Dafoe with The Lighthouse filmmaker Robert Eggers, who has been developing the project since 2016.
Further details about Dafoe’s character are still being kept under wraps. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that the acclaimed actor was attached to a Nosferatu-centered movie. In 2000, Dafoe starred in the independent meta-horror comedy film Shadow of the Vampire, in which he portrayed a Nosferatu-like creature named Max Schreck/ Count Orlok. His performance earned him his second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Focus Features’ Nosferatu will be written and directed by Robert Eggers. The horror thriller will star Nicholas Hoult (Renfield), Lily Rose-Depp (The King), and Bill Skarsgard (It films).
“In the new reimagining, the film is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Depp) in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Skarsgard) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him,” reads the synopsis.
The project is being produced by Eggers, Jeff Robinov, John Graham, and Eleanor Columbus. Eggers’ long-time collaborator Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) was initially attached to lead when it was first announced in 2016.