Just getting Nosferatu in front of cameras was a difficult process but the problems didn’t end there, according to Robert Eggers.
Robert Eggers has been working on remaking the classic vampire tale Nosferatu for some time now and as he’s talked about repeatedly, things have not gone smoothly. Scheduling was a major issue, with both Harry Styles and Anya Taylor-Joy departing (and thus ending) one iteration of the project, and according to Eggers, there have been several versions of the film that have been assembled, only for it to to then fall apart.
Still, the film finally went into production in March, this time with a rather exciting ensemble of Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Bill Skarsgard headlining. However, the difficulties did not stop as the cameras started rolling. The Prague-based production wrapped last month with reports at the time stating local crew members saying they considered the production a “complex and unconventional shoot” but were “proud to be part of” it.
Now Eggers has weighed in on the experience, and he’s in agreement that things were pretty tough. Speaking to Empire, the director said “I’m trying to go beyond what I’m capable of. As always, it was a difficult shoot. Last night we were doing a scene on a ship with a lot of rain and waves, and the rain deflector, which tries to blow rain out of the lens, was breaking down and fogging. I spent the past several days working only with Russian sailors on a boat […] I’m so happy to have made The Northman first and to have learned what I learned. When I think about the production plan of Nosferatu that we had the first time around, I’m sure I would have somehow pulled it out of my butt, but it’s hard not to imagine it being a failure.”
Let’s hope everybody involved has a slightly easier time in post-production given how tricky things have been up until this point. Still, Eggers seems to thrive in difficult conditions and continues to make films that don’t conform to expectations. We’re hoping that the Nosferatu remake continues that tradition.
The original classic horror movie tells the tale of ‘Count Orlok, as he preys on the wife of the estate agent sent to his castle. The remake is set to tell ‘a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.’
The original film (pictured above) is a considered a masterpiece of the German Expressionism movement, but it has been confirmed that Eggers is abandoning the black and white and heavy use of angles, high contrast and shadows in favour of colour and an aesthetic inspired by 19th century Romanticism. The film is set to release sometime in 2024 and hopes are high for this one. We’ll bring you more as we hear it.
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