Just days after Robert Eggers‘ “Nosferatu” hit theaters last Christmas, rumors began to swirl about the director’s next project, with a reboot/sequel to the 1986 fantasy film “Labyrinth” leading the pack. But is there any validity to that story?
READ MORE: Robert Eggers Has “Five Things Going On” & Is Unsure What His Next Film Will Be
Eggers clarified his potential involvement in the project to ComicBook in a new interview. “The thing is, I always have a ton of things in development because you need to survive in this industry, and you don’t know what is going to hit next,” he told the outlet. “But I definitely want the next film I make to be an original movie.” So, no, that doesn’t precisely confirm that Eggers has his eyes on “Labyrinth,” but he didn’t deny it either. That means it could be one of several irons the director has in the fire currently.
But if Eggers helms a “Labyrinth” movie, it’ll come after “Werwulf,” his next period horror project. Focus Features announced the film yesterday, which sees Eggers reunite with “The Northman” co-writer, the Icelandic novelist Sjön, for a tale about werewolves set in 13th-century England. “Nosferatu” executive producers Chris and Eleanor Columbus also return for the upcoming film. As for a release date? Undoubtedly wanting to replicate the success of Eggers’ latest, Universal has “Werwulf” set to hit theaters on Christmas Day 2026.
In the past month, “Nosferatu” has emerged as an unlikely box office triumph for Eggers and Focus. It’s Eggers’ highest-grossing film by a wide margin, currently at $156.8 million off a $50 million budget. “Nosferatu” also fared well with critics, with many of Eggers’ contemporaries championing it as one of their favorite 2024 films. All of that guarantees Eggers will get to make whatever he wants for at least his next couple of movies. In that sense, “Werwulf” looks like a smart choice for Eggers on paper: an original story, unlike his past two films, steeped in meticulous period detail and historical research.
And it’s a take on a classic movie monster desperately in need of the touch of a master (ie: expect “Werwulf” to fare better in theaters than Leigh Whannel‘s woeful “Wolf Man.”). As for Eggers’ “Labyrinth”? It’s perhaps best to let that potential project keep revolving around the rumor mill, because it’s not happening any time soon.
