Robert Eggers’ next film could perhaps be the biggest movie of his career after Nosferatu’s critical and commercial success. All of Robert Eggers’ movies, such as The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and most recently, Nosferatu, have been critically acclaimed. Eggers has proven that he is one of the most creative directors currently working, and Nosferatu is his most successful movie yet. Reviews for Nosferatu have been exceptional, and the film currently has a score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes (via Rotten Tomatoes). Beyond its ratings, Nosferatu has also performed very well at the box office.

The story of Nosferatu follows a vampire who becomes obsessed with a recently married woman and leaves his castle in Transylvania to be with her. The cast of Nosferatu includes Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe. In Nosferatu, Skarsgård is unrecognizable as the sinister vampire Count Orlok. As of this writing, Nosferatu has made an impressive $135 million on a budget of $50 million, making it the highest-grossing movie of Eggers’ career. Following Nosferatu’s success, Eggers’ plan to make an original movie next is a relief.

Robert Eggers Wants To Make An Original Movie After Nosferatu

Eggers Does Not Want To Direct Another Adaptation Right After Nosferatu

Nosferatu was a pᴀssion project for Eggers. He initially planned to adapt the 1922 silent film Nosferatu, which was already an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, as his second movie, following the critical success of The Witch. However, he ultimately decided to delay the project for a number of years so he could make it exactly the way he wanted to. After The Witch, Eggers wrote and directed two original movies before Nosferatu; The Lighthouse and The Northman. Therefore, Nosferatu is Eggers’ first movie that is based on a previous work.

Even though Nosferatu was based on an iconic silent film from the 1900s, Eggers has revealed that he wants his next movie to be an original story. Eggers recently talked about his next movie and claimed that the success of Nosferatu likely won’t change any of his plans. The director acknowledged that there are benefits to working with an established property, but stressed that he wants his follow-up to Nosferatu to be an original movie. This is a relief, as he will likely get offers to direct other adaptations after the success of Nosferatu.

Nosferatu’s Box Office Success Could Have Lured Robert Eggers To Do More IP Movies

Eggers Is A Much Bigger Director After Nosferatu’s Success

If he wasn’t already, Nosferatu has solidified Eggers as one of the best directors currently working in Hollywood. Not only has he proven he can make extremely unique horror films, a genre that is incredibly popular with audiences, but he has also shown off his skills as an action director. While most of his movies don’t include that much action, The Northman, which is inspired by Norse mythology, includes several breathtaking action sequences. Therefore, it is likely that several studios will be looking towards Eggers for horror and action scripts that they want to shoot.

The Northman was a flop at the box office, grossing only $69 million on an estimated budget of $70-90 million (via Box Office Mojo). However, after The Northman’s disappointing performance, Eggers made a huge comeback with Nosferatu. Eggers’ most recent movie is his biggest yet, so it’s likely that Hollywood studios will want him to continue directing big movies. Bigger movies would likely lead to bigger paychecks for Eggers, which could make some of the proposed scripts tempting. However, it seems like he’s resisting the temptation of directing a movie that’s too “mainstream” and focusing on an original story next.

Robert Eggers’ Next Original Movie Could Do Better At The Box Office After Nosferatu

Nosferatu Has Overperformed At The Box Office

Eggers has had a lot of fans ever since The Witch, but Nosferatu’s box office success has undoubtedly earned him many more followers. Therefore, it’s possible that Eggers’ next movie, whatever it is, could make more money than Nosferatu at the box office. Eggers seems to be getting to the point where his movies can be marketed based on his name alone. Including the line “From the Director of Nosferatu” in the trailers and on the posters of his next movie will likely drive more moviegoers to theaters.

Nosferatu’s success shows how far Eggers has come since The Northman was released in theaters. The Witch and The Lighthouse were both critical darlings, but The Northman was a much more ambitious, higher-budget movie that was expected to attract more people to theaters. While The Northman failed to be profitable at the box office, Nosferatu proved that moviegoers are interested in Eggers’ films. Even though The Northman was a flop, it is likely that Eggers’ next film will be a success after Nosferatu’s performance.

Robert Eggers Doing An Original Movie After Nosferatu Is The Best Option

An Original Eggers Movie Is More Exciting After Nosferatu

While Nosferatu was an adaptation, Eggers clearly prefers to write and direct his original ideas. The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman were all original movies conceived by Eggers. These three films are very different from one another, but they are all incredibly thought-provoking and surprising. Through his first three feature films, Eggers proved that he is a bold filmmaker who is capable of shocking the audience. Nosferatu is also a terrific movie, and is arguably the best movie of Eggers’ career, but it is somewhat predictable compared to his other films.

Many of the story beats in Nosferatu are the same as the 1922 silent film and other Dracula adaptations. While Nosferatu was exceptionally made, it was a different viewing experience compared to Eggers’ previous films. Eggers could easily choose another well-known intellectual property for his next movie, but it will be much more interesting to see what his next wholly original idea is. Therefore, it is good that Eggers is more interested in making an original movie, rather than another adaptation, following the success of Nosferatu at the box office.