Nosferatu director Robert Eggers 'working in A Christmas Carol' with Willem Dafoe in mind
Nosferatu filmmaker Robert Eggers is reportedly set to write and direct a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Robert Eggers is reportedly working on a retelling of A Christmas Carol.
The Nosferatu filmmaker is said to be turning his attention to a new adaptation of Charles Dickens' iconic festive ghost story, which he is developing with Warner Bros.
According to Deadline, Eggers will write and direct the movie, and he has longtime collaborator Willem Dafoe in mind to play Ebenezer Scrooge.
Negotiations are not yet underway with cast, but the filmmaker is writing the movie with Dafoe in mind.
Eggers will also serve as producer, with Chris and Elenor Columbus attached to produce via Maiden Voyage.
A Christmas Carol follows old miser Scrooge on Christmas Eve, as he's visited by his late business partner Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come.
There have been countless adaptations of the book over the years, with Alastair Sim's 1951 turn as Scrooge regarded as one of the best.
In 1970, Albert Finney played the title role in Scrooge, with Alec Guinness playing Marley, while 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol saw Michael Caine take on the lead.
Disney has had a number of adaptations, including 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol featurette, and 2009's performance capture film from Robert Zemeckis, which starred Jim Carrey as Scrooge and the three spirits.
Meanwhile, Eggers' previous works have covered New England in the 1630s and 1890s, with The Witch and The Lighthouse respectively, the Viking era with The Northman and 1830s Transylvania with Nosferatu.
Earlier this year, he admitted he can't bear the idea of having to film modern inventions such as cars and mobile phones.
He told Rotten Tomatoes: “The idea of having to photograph a car makes me ill.
“And the idea of photographing a cellphone is just death. And to make a contemporary story you have to photograph a cellphone — it’s just how life is — so no.”
The filmmaker admitted he is unlikely to stray beyond World War II - which took place between 1939 and 1945 - for a future project.
Asked if there's a specific time period "ceiling" he would travel to, he said: “I don’t know. I might go potentially to 1950 but before World War II is more inviting for my imagination.”
Robert recently teased he may be working on a sequel to 1986 fantasy cult classic Labyrinth.
Asked about the project rumours by ComicBook.com, he said: “The thing is, I always have a ton of things in development because you need to survive this industry, and you don’t know what is going to hit next.
"But I definitely want the next film I make to be an original movie.”
Deadline has since reported the director is indeed set to direct a new Labyrinth film for TriStar Pictures, which the outlet claims will be a sequel instead of a remake of Jim Henson’s original movie.
