Willem Dafoe is no stranger to the world of Nosferatu, as he famously played original Nosferatu actor Max Schreck in the 2000 movie Shadow of the Vampire. Dafoe returns to that arena in the upcoming Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman) remake of Nosferatu, only this time around he’s playing a human who’s hunting the vampire.

Entertainment Weekly has shared a new image from Nosferatu this morning, giving us our first look at Willem Dafoe’s character in the film, Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz.

Eggers describes the character as “a crazy vampire hunter.”

Focus Features will release Nosferatu in theaters for Christmas on December 25, 2024.

Willem Dafoe, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Emma Corrin and Lily-Rose Depp will star in Nosferatu, with Skarsgard playing Nosferatu/Count Orlok in the film.

As we’ve recently learned, the cast also includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kraven the Hunter), Simon McBurney (The Conjuring 2) and Ralph Ineson (The Witch).

“Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman in 19th century Germany and the ancient Transylvanian vampire who stalks her, bringing untold horror with him.”

Eggers (The Witch, The Northman) directs and he wrote the script. Eggers also serves as a producer alongside Chris Columbus, Eleanor Columbus, Jeff Robinov, and John Graham. 

Focus is distributing in the U.S. with Universal Pictures International handling international.

F.W. Murnau directed the original 1922 version of Nosferatu, while fellow German filmmaker Werner Herzog notably directed his own version of the classic tale back in 1979.

The 1922 silent movie followed the vampire Count Orlok, who wants to buy a house in Germany and becomes enamored with the real-estate agent’s wife. It was an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” which almost led to all copies being destroyed.