First Look at Willem Dafoe's Vampire Hunter Role in Robert Eggers' Nosferatu

Introduction to Nosferatu

A new image from Nosferatu reveals a first look at Willem Dafoe’s vampire hunter role. From The Witch and The Lighthouse director Robert Eggers, Nosferatu is an upcoming adaptation of the classic vampire story. Nosferatu is currently in post-production and slated for a Christmas release on December 25, 2024. Nosferatu is a modern update of the 1922 F.W. Murnau classic of the same name.

First Look at Willem Dafoe as a vampire hunter in Robert Eggers Nosferatu

Willem Dafoe's Role as Vampire Hunter Albin Eberhart von Franz

A new image from the Nosferatu from Entertainment Weekly shows the first look at Dafoe in his role as vampire hunter Albin Eberhart von Franz. In the image, Dafoe sports a winged brown jacket and dons a maniacal smile. As he grins, he is surrounded by flames that engulf some kind of older structure. Along with the image, director Eggers also referred to Dafoe as a “crazy vampire hunter” in describing his Nosferatu role.

Nosferatu's Cast & Characters Explained

Dafoe plays Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz in the film. This character is a loosely-interpreted adaptation of Abraham Van Hesling from the 1897 Bram Stoker novel Dracula. Van Hesling is an iconic vampire hunter, who has been portrayed either directly or indirectly throughout various vampire content, including Nosferatu and even the modern vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows. In the 1922 F.W. Murnau version of Nosferatu, the character is portrayed through the role of Bulwer, who is played by John Gottowt.

In addition to Dafoe, Eggers’ Nosferatu will feature a supporting cast of Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Ineson, Lily-Rose Depp, Simon McBurney, and Bill Skarsgård. It is Skarsgård who will play Count Orlok, who is better known as the titular vampire Nosferatu. Depp will play Ellen Hutter, the young woman who is the object of Nosferatu’s vampiric obsession.

Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter in the first look at Robert Eggers' Nosferatu

Nosferatu’s cast is set to be an exciting mix of old Eggers favorites and newer actors. Ineson has become somewhat of an Eggers regular, acting in both The Witch and The Northman. Dafoe also worked with Eggers previously through his role in the two-actor film The Lighthouse. Dafoe and Ineson will join a strong cast, including Skarsgård, who has already reached horror icon status through his role as Pennywise in It and It: Chapter 2. With this team — and a terrifying first look image of Dafoe — Nosferatu is well-positioned to become the next great Eggers horror film.