EXCLUSIVE: Robert Eggers’ long-awaited new take on the Nosferatu is gaining some serious momentum as sources tell Deadline that Bill Skarsgard is attached to play the titular character and Lily-Rose Depp is in talks to co-star. The pic now is set up at Focus Features, with Eggers directing and penning the script. Jeff Robinov, John Graham, Robert Eggers, Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus are producing.

In the new reimagining, Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Depp) in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire (Skarsgard) who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him. Focus had no comment on the project.

The film has been a passion project of Eggers’ for years and came close to coming together in 2019 with Anya Taylor-Joy and Harry Styles at Studio 8. The film was put on pause as Studio 8 figured out a budget and talent schedules. Eggers ultimately pushed pause on the movie and moved on to his Viking pic The Northman, which bowed in April.

After The Northman, Eggers started looking at other projects but always had his eye on coming back to the gothic tale. Once Focus came aboard, he officially made Nosferatu his next film and began meeting with talent. Skarsgard has been loosely attached to play Eggers’ new take on the 19th century monster, going back to when he was developing the project with Styles and Taylor-Joy, and he quickly got Skarsgard to slot the pic into his schedule before it got filled up.

Taylor-Joy has become one of the busier movie stars in town and couldn’t fit the film into that busy schedule, leaving an opening for the role of the female protagonist at the center of the story. Following a number of meetings, Voyagers star Depp emerged as Eggers’ top choice for the role.

Skarsgard is coming off his hit horror pic Barbarian, which he also exec produced. He has a busy 2023 coming up that includes the Netflix thriller Boy Kills World and John Wick: Chapter 4. He also is attached to star in The Crow reboot that Rupert Sanders is directing.

Depp is set to star opposite The Weeknd in the upcoming HBO series The Idol ,with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson producing. She most recently was seen in the remake of Silent Night.

Skarsgard is repped by WME and Magnolia Entertainment and Depp is repped by CAA,Markham, Froggatt & Irwin Agence Adequat.

Source: Deadline Hollywood