Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol looks set to get the Robert Eggers treatment. Warner Bros is picking the project up.
Sometimes a project comes that feels so perfect, you wonder why nobody has thought of it before. Thanks to Deadline, we now know that Robert Eggers is planning to direct A Christmas Carol for Warner Bros, putting his own spin on Charles Dicken’s beloved tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge and a series of rather instructive spirits.
No Muppets, to our knowledge, will be involved.
We’ve already seen Eggers recreate mid-18th century city life to great effect in this year’s Nosferatu, that still ranks among the most impressive films we’ve seen this year, despite opening all the way back on New Year’s Day. Taking on A Christmas Carol will allow Eggers to return to this milieu and do so with one of Nosferatu's stars, given that Willem Dafoe is reportedly Eggers’ first choice to play the lead role of Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Given that Dafoe has already collaborated with Eggers on The Northman, The Lighthouse,The Witch and Nosferatu, we can’t imagine that the star will have many problems coming to terms with the studio and let’s face it – Dafoe as Scrooge is dynamite casting. While Eggers’ next project – titled Werewulf – looks to be another horror-themed auteur project, his slate is beginning to look increasingly studio-flavoured. Following Werewulf, his next two projects (although which order they’ll arrive in we’re not sure) will be A Christmas Carol and a sequel to 1986’s Labyrinth.
Nosferatu marked the highest-grossing film of Eggers’ career thus far, bringing in $181 million worldwide, so it’s no surprise that studios are keen to graft his unique sense of style to tentpole projects with existing name value.
Given how the filmmaker has built his name on various modes of horror, we’re very curious to see just how dark his take on A Christmas Carol will be. When we hear more on this one, we’ll absolutely let you know. In the meantime, check out Eggers’ appearance on the Film Stories podcast.
Image credit: Universal Pictures.
