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Technically, Robert Eggers made a Universal Pictures Dracula movie. And now, he's (kinda) doing Wolf Man
We're choosing to believe that the Dark Universe lives, and it is cooler than we could ever have hoped for
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Us horror fans are still reeling over the news that Nosferatu's own Robert Eggers will be tackling werewolf mythology in 2026. For those of us creature-feature-minded, the Werwulf announcement means there will be another chapter in the 'Eggers does traditional folkloric monsters' saga, and it's no doubt got classical horror fans thinking of the Universal Monsters lineup. Well here's the thing, nerds of the night, Eggers isn't just making movies that parallel the Universal Classics - technically, he's making those movies for Universal.
Let us explain.
In order to make Nosferatu, the surprise hit of the 2024 Christmas box office and technically the latest adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (the original was a shameless ripoff, read more here), Eggers teamed up with Focus Features, an indie film production and distribution establishment. And if you've read that Werwulf announcement above, you know that the 13th-century-set horror flick will see Focus and Eggers teaming up once again, along with The Northman screenwriter and Icelandic poet Sjón. And you know who all of those entities will technically be working for?
NBC Universal.
Yes, Focus Features was originally the sister film distribution company of Universal Pictures, until the two merged in 2016. It is intended to focus on foreign films and independent projects, the likes of which directors of Eggers's ilk are drawn toward. But don't let the arthouse vibes fool you, everyone's weird vampiric crush this year was by rights a Universal Dracula, even if it takes some extra steps to get there. And while it probably won't have any plot similarities to the 1941 Wolf Man, his take on werewolves will technically be a Universal project too.
This could be a good perspective shift if you were one of the many Universalites that didn't care for the Blumhouse-co-produced 2025 Wolf Man film, or if you wanted to see the properties linked in style and tone as Universal's famously failed Dark Universe once promised. We also can't help but wonder if Eggers will tackle more classic horror with Universal Monsters rep - Frankenstein perhaps? Ah, no, Guillermo del Toro's got him. Creature from the Black Lagoon? No, James Wan's on that. The Phantom of the Opera...?
Just promise me you'll give Anya Taylor-Joy a crack at Christine.
Robert Eggers's Werwulf is slated to release Christmas Day, 2026.
In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." We couldn't agree more, which is why we've cobbled together a couple pieces to send a chill up your spine. Join Popverse as we explore:
- The best horror movies of all time, according to horror aficionado Greg Silber
- The most underrated horror movies from the past couple years
- All the new and upcoming horror movies for 2025 and beyond
And much gore. Er, more. Much more.
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