Focus Features and director Robert Eggers have released the first trailer for the upcoming historical horror film "Werwulf."
The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on December 25, 2026.
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as a haunted 13th-century farmer undergoing a bestial metamorphosis. The film marks a reunion for the creative team behind Eggers' previous release "Nosferatu."
Inspired by Medieval Texts
The narrative draws from medieval sources, including the 13th-century encyclopedia Otia Imperialia by English cleric Gervase of Tillbury.
A section on lycanthropy, translated as "Of Men Who Were Wolves," documents historical accounts of individuals afflicted with a transformative malady that caused violence across remote European villages.
Eggers used these archaic records to create a realistic, dark atmosphere.
"This is my first Werwulf interview and my first interview in a while, so let's see how it goes," he said.
He explained that pursuing a werewolf project followed his work on "Nosferatu" as a deliberate return to horror.
The setting around the year 1300 aligns with the historical eradication of wolves in England due to wool trade protections.
"Yeah, obviously this stuff is all part of my DNA and part of my childhood interests, but I wanted to follow up Nosferatu with another horror movie," Eggers said.
"I had written something that was a bit too obscure. So I thought, Let me be sensible and make a werewolf movie."
Historical Research and Mythology
Eggers conducted extensive historical research, eventually expanding his scope to continental Europe due to scanty British records from the Dark Ages.
