Moviegoers, brace yourselves. Fresh off unleashing a stunning first-look image, Focus Features has officially dropped the first official look and synopsis for Robert Eggers’ highly anticipated next feature, Werwulf—and it sounds like an absolute fever dream.
The first official image features a heavily bearded Taylor-Johnson, spear in hand, surrounded by a pack of large dogs on the hunt. And we are totally here for it.
The official logline sets a devastatingly moody tone:
“Witness Robert Eggers’ most visceral and haunting experience yet. Focus Features presents Werwulf, a harrowing tale of devotion, damnation and the devil within.”
Ditching the Camp: A Total Mythological Reset
If you’re expecting full moons, silver bullets, or tragic bites, think again. In a brilliant new interview with Esquire, Eggers revealed that he is stripping away modern tropes to rebuild the monster from its primal roots.
“The cool thing about going back into the past is that you can kind of hit a reset button,” Eggers teased. “So all the clichés of being bitten by a werewolf and silver bullets and a lot of the stuff that has become almost campy doesn’t exist in the mythology of this movie. You don’t need to have seen Lon Chaney Jr.’s The Wolf Man or An American Werewolf in London to get what’s going on here.”
1300 AD: The Edge of Extinction
Instead of paying homage to 20th-century cinema, Eggers drew on the brutal realities of medieval history for inspiration.
“I learned that basically because of protections for the wool trade, there was a big effort to get rid of all the wolves in England,” Eggers explained. “It was pretty successful. So the movie takes place around 1300, and that’s as late as it could be because once there were no wolves in England, there was no more werewolf lore in England. That became interesting, that it was going to be set so medieval.”
Set against the bleak, unforgiving backdrop of 13th-century England, Werwulf follows a creature stalking the countryside. Ancient folklore curdles into a living nightmare.
A Powerhouse Ensemble
True to form, Eggers has assembled an elite cast to bring this historical horror to life. The film features an incredible lineup of frequent collaborators and heavy-hitters. Leading the pack are Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp, both hot off their collaborations with the director on Nosferatu. They are joined by legendary screen icon Willem Dafoe, who famously delivered an unforgettable, mad-eyed performance in The Lighthouse, and Ralph Ineson, whose booming voice and commanding presence helped anchor Eggers’ breakout masterpiece, The Witch. Rounding out this stellar cast is rising talent Bodhi Rae Breathnach, fresh off their acclaimed work in Hamnet.
Prepare for a bleak, bloody, and beautiful holiday season. Werwulf claws its way into theaters via Focus Features on December 25.
