Robert Eggers Might Really Be Building His Own Supernatural Franchise Based On A Nosferatu Deleted Scene

Each of Robert Eggers’ four movies contains a stand-alone story, but a scene from the extended cut of Nosferatu indicates that the respected writer/director may be creating a pseudo-franchise around the supernatural characters at the center of his films. Nosferatu was a critical and box office hit, resulting in natural speculation about what Eggers’ next movie would be. Moviegoers didn’t need to wait long to find out, as it was already announced that Eggers would next take on the mythology surrounding werewolves with Werwulf, which is due out on Christmas Day, 2026.

Robert Eggers’ movies are all based on the folklore of the past in different parts of the world, and so far each movie has had a terrifying supernatural creature at its center: a witch, a mermaid, a draugr, and a vampire. Eggers’ interpretations of these monsters are derived from real-world folklore as opposed to past cinematic adaptations or the modern stereotypical, Halloween-ified version of them. He will most certainly lean in the direction again for Werwulf, and interestingly enough, the extended cut of Nosferatu included a brief reference to the next mythical monster he’s taking on.

Robert Eggers’ Werwulf Movie Announcement Ignited Theories About Nosferatu Secretly Starting A Franchise

The Characters Would Not Have Connected Stories, But Be Considered Part Of A Series

With a werewolf movie coming directly on the heels of a vampire movie, natural speculation began to build that Eggers might be starting his own Dark Universe, which was the name of the failed interconnected cinematic universe starring the classic Universal Studios monsters. It’s fairly clear that Eggers has no interest in developing any sort of interconnected universe given the robust story-telling and craftsmanship that goes into each of his films. An interconnected cinematic universe would certainly risk compromising the integrity of his movies, so that path never seemed likely.

Still, he will have two movies in a row with characters that align with a Universal Monsters counterpart, so naturally, horror fans disappointed by the failed Dark Universe would take solace in the fact that a talented director might pick up the pieces. Robert Eggers has even spoken about his desire to write a Frankenstein movie once upon a time before scrapping his draft after being dissatisfied with it. However, as well-received as a connected Dark Universe by Robert Eggers might be, that simply isn’t the kind of filmmaker that he is.

A Nosferatu Deleted Scene Includes A Connection To Werewolves

An Extended Count Orlok Monologue References Werewolves

While the runtime of Nosferatu‘s extended cut indicates that Eggers didn’t leave much out of the theatrical cut, there were a few brief scenes that featured extra context. One such scene is the first encounter between Thomas and Count Orlok in the castle’s dining room. During the scene, Thomas asks Orlok about the ritual he saw at the foot of the mountains, during which the peasants enter a graveyard and kill a vampire. In the theatrical cut, Orlok quickly dismisses it and grows angry when Thomas presses the issue, but he gives a far better response in the extended cut.

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Orlok monologues about the night that Thomas was staying at the inn, telling him that it was the “Sfântul Andrei”, the eve of the Feast of Saint Andrew, one of Jesus Christ’s Apostles. On that night, as Orlok tells it, all the evil of the world is unleashed, and he specifically notes that “Devil’s magic bids the wolf to speak with tongues of men.” Orlok is indirectly referencing the region’s history with werewolves, as a deeper investigation into Romanian folklore indicates that those wolf-like creatures who spoke like men could bite people and turn them into werewolves.

Nosferatu’s Subtle Werewolf Tease Means Werwulf Could Exist In The Same Universe

It’s Possible Despite The Stories Taking Place Centuries Apart

Orlok simply acknowledging the existence of werewolves in his world opens the door for the two movies to exist in the same universe. Nosferatu takes place in Transylvania and then Wisburg, Germany during the 1830s, while Werwulf will reportedly be set in England during the 13th century, so there is little chance that it would even be possible for the characters of the two movies to meet or directly mention one another. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t still technically co-exist in the same world.

While Eggers would never sacrifice his vision for the sake of cramming in an Easter egg, it’s possible that there are some elements that could cross over between the two movies. For example, a distant ancestor of one of the Nosferatu characters could show up in England during the pursuit of the werewolf. Perhaps the most likely candidate for such a setup would be Willem Dafoe’s Albin Eberhart von Franz, the discredited professor who aided the Hardings and Hutters in their quest to stop Count Orlok thanks to his curiosity and knowledge of the supernatural.

As charismatic and endearing as Professor von Franz was in Nosferatu, making his line of ancestors a common thread across space and time would be an interesting way to connect otherwise unconnected movies. Just as Nosferatu is an adaptation of the original Dracula story, Professor von Franz is an adaptation of Abraham Van Helsing. If the von Franz line has a long history of fighting monsters, or at least understanding why and how they operate, then a different member of the ancestry could be inserted in theoretically any future Eggers movie.

Robert Eggers’ Supernatural Franchise May Never Be Confirmed

Eggers Has Never Shown Interest In Any Manner Of Franchise

As fun as it is to speculate about how an interconnected franchise of Robert Eggers’ supernatural monsters could work, it seems like a near impossibility. Eggers has never shown any interest in creating a franchise, although he is poised to step into one. Following Werwulf, Eggers is set to direct a sequel to the iconic musical fantasy Labyrinth, which starred David Bowie and was directed by Jim Henson. It will be the first sequel of Eggers’ career, so it’s possible that he opens the door to other sequels or connected movies in the future.

Chances are that Robert Eggers continues to follow the path that has been successful for him thus far, and the one that drives his passion. His self-contained examinations of dread-filled folklore from around the world have earned him acclaim along with ever-increasing budgets that allow him to tackle more ambitious stories. While movies like Nosferatu and Werwulf may never be connected, they can and will exist as a sort of pseudo-franchise of supernatural monsters, a collection of similarly-themed movies.

Movie

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Nosferatu

8/10

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Runtime

132 Minutes