Robert Eggers
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Robert Houston Eggers (born July 7, 1983) is an American filmmaker who has written and directed '' The Witch'' (2015), '' The Lighthouse'' (2019), '' The Northman'' (2022), and ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...
'' (2024). His films blend elements of horror,
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
, and
mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
and are noted for maintaining historical authenticity.


Early life

Robert Houston Eggers was born in New York City on July 7, 1983. He does not know his biological father. He and his mother Kelly Houston moved to
Laramie, Wyoming Laramie () is a List of municipalities in Wyoming, city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States, known for its high elevation at , for its railroad history, and as the home of the University of Wyoming. The population wa ...
, where she met and married Walter Eggers, an English literature professor at the
University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...
. The couple had twin sons named Max and Sam, who also became filmmakers. In 1990, the family relocated to Lee, New Hampshire, after Walter became a provost at the
University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...
. Eggers returned to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 2001. He gained an interest in designing, directing, and theatre while there, and would additionally show an interest in filmmaking by directing and designing short films. His childhood in
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
often inspires his work; while writing his first feature film, he frequently visited the Plimoth Patuxet in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
.


Career

Eggers began his career as a designer and director of theatre productions in New York before transitioning to working in film. He wrote and directed the horror film '' The Witch'' (2015) in his feature film directorial debut, and it premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival before A24 acquired it. It was released theatrically on February 19, 2016. Critical reception was largely positive, and the film earned over $40 million against a budget of $4 million. Eggers' next film, '' The Lighthouse'' (2019), was also a period piece and received critical acclaim. He directed the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother, Max, and it stars
Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
and Willem Dafoe. In 2022, the Amleth-inspired
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9â ...
epic film Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a her ...
'' The Northman'' was released, starring Alexander Skarsgård,
Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
,
Anya Taylor-Joy Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy (; born 16 April 1996) is an actress. Born in Miami and raised in Buenos Aires and London, she left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career. After a series of small television roles, her Breakthrough ...
,
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
,
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
, and Willem Dafoe. Critical reception was largely positive, but the film underperformed at the box office and did not make a profit until it was released on VOD. In July 2015, it was reported that Eggers would write and direct a remake of the silent film ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...
'' (1922). The film was set to be produced by Jay Van Hoy and
Lars Knudsen Lars Ramkilde Knudsen (born 21 February 1962) is a Denmark, Danish researcher in cryptography, particularly interested in the design and cryptanalysis, analysis of block ciphers, cryptographic hash function, hash functions and message authentic ...
for Studio 8. In November 2016, Eggers expressed surprise that the ''Nosferatu'' remake was going to be his second film, saying, "It feels ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to do ''Nosferatu'' next. I was really planning on waiting a while, but that's how fate shook out." Eggers had previously directed his high school's performance of the ''Nosferatu'' play, and was hired to direct a professional version of the play due to his work. Eggers credited this as the event that inspired him to pursue a career in filmmaking. Eggers eventually opted to delay his version of the film, going on to direct ''The Lighthouse'' and ''The Northman'' first. ''The Witch'' star
Anya Taylor-Joy Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy (; born 16 April 1996) is an actress. Born in Miami and raised in Buenos Aires and London, she left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career. After a series of small television roles, her Breakthrough ...
was attached to the cast alongside
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
, but both dropped out in 2022. In September 2022, it was reported that the film would star Bill Skarsgård in the title role alongside Lily-Rose Depp. ''
Nosferatu ''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' () is a 1922 silent film, silent German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who ...
'' became his fourth film.


Prospective projects

Eggers was at one point developing a
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
based on the life of
Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...
. However, he stated in 2024 that development has stalled as he would be unable to film in Russia. He has also developed a medieval film called ''The Knight'', which has yet to be produced. In January 2025, it was reported Eggers would direct ''Werwulf'', a
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
horror film set in 13th-century England. The film's North American release is currently set for Christmas 2026. It was also reported that he will write and direct a sequel to the 1986 film ''
Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...
''. In June, it was reported Eggers was writing and directing a new adaptation of ''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...
'' for
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, with Willem Dafoe the frontrunner to play
Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...
. Additionally, Eggers had started writing an "
Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...
" script and expressed interest in making a
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
.


Filmmaking style

One of the major traits of films directed by Eggers is their "strict attention to detail". All of his films are period dramas, and have been noted for their historical accuracy, especially their use of specific language and period-appropriate dialogue. Eggers stated in a
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interview that he is not interested in making films set in the contemporary era, claiming that the idea of photographing modern technology disgusts him. When asked what is the latest era he is willing to film, he answered that he will go as far as the 1950s.


Personal life

Eggers is married to
clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...
Alexandra Shaker, whom he has known since childhood. They reside in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
and have a son.


Filmography


Feature films


Short films


Costume designer


Reception


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eggers, Robert 1983 births Living people People from Lee, New Hampshire American male screenwriters Sundance Film Festival award winners American horror film directors American fantasy film directors Film directors from New Hampshire Screenwriters from New Hampshire American production designers Film producers from New York (state) Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American screenwriters Screenwriters from Wyoming Film directors from Wyoming