Bill Skarsgård’s next movie is Locked, through which he continues a career trend that can give him a break from horror, even if just for a while. Bill Skarsgård had a big year in 2024 with three movies, though not all of them were a critical and commercial hit. His most recent hit is Robert Eggers’ Gothic horror movie Nosferatu, where he played the main villain, Count Orlok. This is just another addition to Skarsgård’s long history with the horror genre, which began in 2013 when he played vampire Roman Godfrey in Hemlock Grove.
In 2017, Skarsgård became part of horror history when he played Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novel It. This made Skarsgård the first actor to play Pennywise on the big screen and the second to ever play the character, right next to Tim Curry. Since then, Skarsgård has often visited the horror genre (both as a villain and as a victim) and has now become heavily ᴀssociated with it, but his new project, Locked, continues a career trend that can keep him away from horror for a while.
Locked Continues Bill Skarsgård’s Action Trend
Bill Skarsgård Has Been Giving Action Movies A Chance
Just a couple of months after playing Count Orlok, Bill Skarsgård will take a break from horror movies with the action crime movie Locked. Directed by David Yarovesky, Locked follows Eddie (Skarsgård), a thief who breaks into a car. However, once inside, the owner of the car, William (Anthony Hopkins), locks him inside and tasers him through certain modifications made to the car. William wants to teach Eddie a lesson about morality and honesty, but his punishment escalates to horrifying levels. Despite having hints of horror, Locked is more of an action movie, which carries on a recent trend in Skarsgård’s career.
Locked is the English-language remake of the 2019 Argentinian action movie 4×4.
Although Skarsgård had taken part in action movies before, such as The Divergent Series: Allegiant and Atomic Blonde, he didn’t have a main role in an action movie until John Wick: Chapter 4 in 2023. Skarsgård played Marquis Vincent de Gramont, a powerful member of the High Table whose position is challenged by Wick. Skarsgård’s performance in John Wick 4 was praised, along with that of Keanu Reeves and Donnie Yen. In 2024, Skarsgård starred in the dystopian action comedy Boy Kills World.
In it, Skarsgård plays Boy, a deaf-mute man seeking revenge against the Van Der Koys, who killed his family. Skarsgård’s action skills in Boy Kills World received a lot of praise from critics and were often called the strength of the movie. A couple of months later, Skarsgård starred in The Crow as Eric Draven, which wasn’t exactly the critics’ favorite. Despite the lack of chemistry with his co-star, FKA Twigs, Skarsgård’s action performance was one of the best things in the movie. Locked can continue Skarsgård’s action-streak, giving him a break from horror.
Bill Skarsgård Will Return To His Best Horror Character In 2025
Bill Skarsgård Has One More Horror Project Lined Up
Despite Skarsgård proving he can be an action star and making his way through this genre, he has one more horror project pending. Skarsgård reprises his role as Pennywise in the TV series Welcome to Derry, a prequel to Muschietti’s It movies. The series is said to explore the origins of Pennywise, and though Skarsgård’s return is official, it’s unknown how heavily he will be involved in it. Surely, Skarsgård’s return as Pennywise is exciting, and it can answer the biggest questions about Pennywise’s backstory and its connection to Derry.
At the time of writing, Skarsgård doesn’t have any other horror projects lined up for the near future after Welcome to Derry. On the big screen, Skarsgård will appear in the historical crime drama ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire as Tony Kiritsis, and in Emperor as Philip II of Spain. Bill Skarsgård is showing his acting range in other genres, and the action world has been especially welcoming of him.
