Robert Eggers’ WERWULF Set Photos Tease Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Savage New Role
The first images from the UK set of Werwulf have surfaced, and they offer an early look at Aaron Taylor-Johnson in his latest collaboration with filmmaker Robert Eggers.
Fans of Nosferatu who were hoping for more of Eggers’ eerie, atmospheric horror are getting exactly that, and these photos make it clear that the director is leaning fully into the supernatural again.
We also have photos featuring Willem Dafore and Lily-Rose Depp, who is unrecognizable.
Werwulf marks Eggers’ return to Focus Features after the massive success of Nosferatu. He’s sticking close to the genre that has become his signature with another dark tale, co-written with his The Northman writing partner Sjón.
As the title suggests, this is a full-on werewolf movie set in 13th century England. Story details are still under wraps, but the script is described as containing “dialogue that was true to the time period and has translations and annotations for those uninitiated to Old English.”
Knowing Eggers, this is shaping up to be another richly crafted historical nightmare.
The newly shared set photos show Taylor-Johnson shooting a sequence on the rugged landscape of Dartmoor. He’s wandering across the moor with wild hair, blood streaked across his chest, and a look that suggests he’s on the edge of a very intense transformation. He’s not in full monster mode yet but he definitely seems to be in the middle of “wolfing out.”
Taylor-Johnson isn’t the only Nosferatu alum joining Eggers again. Lily-Rose Depp, who portrayed Ellen Hutter in that film, is returning as the new female lead.
In Nosferatu, Taylor-Johnson played the haunted Friedrich Harding, and reports say the two actors will now portray a married couple in Werwulf. Willem Dafoe is also part of the cast in a role that’s still being kept secret.
Eggers originally intended to shoot Werwulf in black and white before shifting course during development. Even without that stylistic choice, the movie sounds like it will fit right into his filmography. Eggers has always gravitated toward unsettling worlds.
During a Film at Lincoln Center Q&A, the director talked briefly about the project and made it clear that audiences should brace themselves. Eggers said that this movie is the "darkest thing" he's ever written during a recent Film At Lincoln Center Q&A session. He added, "But yeah, it's a medieval werewolf movie. And it's... it's also the darkest thing I have ever written. By far."
Werwulf is slated to release on Christmas Day 2026, which means holiday season is getting a fiercely different kind of spirit. Horror fans are definitely in for something awesome.