Over the years, Robert Eggers has become one of the directors whose name I look forward to seeing on upcoming horror movies. After his stunning directorial debut with 2015’s The Witch, he’s made a series of great follow ups from The Lighthouse to his biggest hit yet in Nosferatu. Now, I’ve just learned the filmmaker is looking at adapting A Christmas Carol next, a bit of a change of pace for the filmmaker, and the first name coming up for casting already has me ready to visit the spirit of Christmas future.
Willem Dafoe As Scrooge Is Potentially Inspired Casting For A Christmas Carol
Deadline is reporting that Robert Eggers’ frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe is being eyed for the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in his version of A Christmas Carol. And now that I’ve imagined Dafoe as the old miser at the center of the Charles Dickens classic, I absolutely need this to happen now. I have no notes at all; it’d simply be perfect casting to see the acclaimed actor go on the journey of A Christmas Carol.
To be honest, I wouldn’t have said I need a remake of A Christmas Carol before hearing Eggers and Dafoe’s names together. There’ve been quite a few great A Christmas Carol movies over the years, and I’m not necessarily itching for another version. However, now that I think about it, Dafoe was practically born to play Scrooge. There’s a dramatic and epic quality to his acting that’s perfect for his arc, and I know Eggers will have a unique vision for the classic story.
I’m Also Intrigued About How Robert Eggers Would Adapt The Charles Dickens Classic
Regarding my interest in a Robert Eggers’ A Christmas Carol, I’m particularly interested because the Dickens book isn’t a horror story, but absolutely could be adapted with the filmmaking sensibilities of the writer/director. What Eggers has done so masterfully over the years with his filmography is expertly use production design, sound design, makeup and effects to really immerse audiences into the dread and disturbing feelings were meant to feel with the characters (not to mention specific period settings), and I can absolutely see how he could do the same thing with A Christmas Carol.
In our Nosferatu review, we gave the movie a really solid four out of five stars, and the movie (which came out on Christmas of last year) did rather well, making $181 million worldwide against a reported $50 million production budget. Now that Eggers has shown he can make a commercial success, I do like the idea of him tackling more classics like A ChristmasCarol. I’m already shaking in my boots thinking about how he plans to adapt each spirit. And I’d be excited to know who he casts for each one of them.
Before A Christmas Carol, Robert Eggers already has another movie he’s making first. We know he’s doing a werewolf movie called Werwulfwhich is dated for Christmas Day in 2026. His holiday gifts of movies just keep coming, and A Christmas Carol could be another solid addition to his body of work.
