Cameras Roll on Robert Eggers’ Werwulf, His Darkest Vision Yet

Robert Eggers is not done creeping us out. Before he jumps into his Labyrinth sequel and his take on A Christmas Carol, he is making a medieval werewolf movie called Werwulf for Focus Features — and yes, cameras are already rolling in England for a planned Christmas Day 2026 theatrical release.

What we know right now

• Release date: aiming for Christmas Day 2026 in theaters.
• Filming: underway in England at Sky Studios Elstree and on location in Dartmoor, Devon.
• Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe — a reunion of his Nosferatu players. Roles are under wraps.
• Writers: Eggers co-wrote the script with Sjon, his collaborator on The Northman.
• Setting and vibe: 13th-century England, with the kind of muddy, costumed, violent texture Eggers loves.
• Story hook: a mysterious creature prowls a fog-choked countryside as local folklore turns terrifyingly real for the villagers.
• Dialogue: written to be true to the era, with translations and annotations built in for anyone not fluent in Old English. A nerdy detail, but it tells you how granular they are going.
• Look: Eggers considered shooting in black and white early on; that plan is off the table now.
• Producers: Eggers and Sjon are producing with Focus Features.
• Executive producers: Chris and Eleanor Columbus, who also worked with Eggers on Nosferatu.

So how dark are we talking?

Eggers called it his 'medieval werewolf movie' and said it is 'the darkest thing I have ever written, by far.'

The Nosferatu momentum

Eggers just came off Nosferatu, which landed strong both with critics and at the box office — it pulled in nearly $182 million worldwide. One critic, Chris Bumbray, even stamped it a new horror classic with a perfect 10/10. If Werwulf can convert that goodwill into tickets, Focus might have a grisly little Christmas hit on its hands.

Between the period-authentic dialogue, the foggy countryside monster stalking, and that cast, this sounds like peak Eggers. And if he says it is his darkest yet, believe him.