From Nosferatu to Scrooge: Robert Eggers Tackles A Christmas Carol
Published On: June 12th, 2025
In a move that would make even the most seasoned ghost of Christmas past do a double-take, Robert Eggers is set to write and direct a new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol for Warner Bros. The announcement comes hot on the heels of his critically acclaimed Nosferatu remake, which earned four Oscar nominations and proved that Eggers could breathe terrifying new life into classic material.
Willem Dafoe is reportedly being eyed to play the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge, marking what would be the fourth collaboration between the visionary director and the veteran actor. Their partnership has become one of Hollywood's most compelling creative relationships, spanning The Lighthouse (2019), The Northman (2022), and most recently Nosferatu (2024), where Dafoe delivered a memorable performance as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz.
A partnership born of artistic excellence
The Eggers-Dafoe collaboration represents more than just director loyalty—it's a meeting of complementary artistic minds. Dafoe, whose worldwide box office gross of $13.114 billion ranks him 23rd among all actors, brings both commercial appeal and critical gravitas to every project. His four Academy Award nominations, including recognition for Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, The Florida Project, and At Eternity's Gate, demonstrate his range and commitment to challenging material.
For Eggers, casting Dafoe as Scrooge makes perfect sense. The actor's ability to embody characters who teeter between menace and vulnerability, as seen in his unhinged lighthouse keeper in The Lighthouse or his mystical fool in The Northman, positions him ideally to capture Scrooge's dramatic transformation from miser to redeemed soul. Dafoe's theatrical intensity and unique, weathered face could bring new psychological depth to literature's most famous Christmas conversion.
Christmas becomes Eggers' unlikely specialty
The timing of this announcement reveals an intriguing pattern in Eggers' career trajectory. Nosferatu's Christmas Day 2024 release proved to be a stroke of genius, earning $181 million globally and establishing the director as an unlikely king of holiday horror. His next project, the 13th-century werewolf thriller Werwulf, is already slated for Christmas Day 2026, suggesting that Eggers has found his seasonal niche.
This Christmas Carol adaptation would mark Eggers' first project with Warner Bros., following his successful relationship with Focus Features on The Northman and Nosferatu. Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus are attached as producers, bringing their considerable experience with family-friendly blockbusters to balance Eggers' more gothic sensibilities.
Joining a crowded field of adaptations
Eggers faces the considerable challenge of distinguishing his version from the literally dozens of adaptations that have preceded it. Dickens' 1843 novella has been interpreted through virtually every lens imaginable, from the beloved 1951 Alastair Sim version, which The New York Times' A.O. Scott called the definitive adaptation, to modern reimaginings like The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture A Christmas Carol (2009).
The story has proven remarkably adaptable across media and demographics. Disney alone has produced multiple versions, from Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) to more recent animated efforts. Musical adaptations like Scrooge (1970) starring Albert Finney have added songs to Dickens' prose, while comedic takes like Scrooged (1988) transported the tale to contemporary corporate America.
The Eggers touch: Horror meets redemption
What sets Eggers apart from previous adaptations is his proven ability to find genuine terror in period settings. His films consistently explore themes of isolation, madness, and supernatural dread—elements that align surprisingly well with Dickens' ghostly tale. The director's meticulous attention to historical detail and atmospheric storytelling could transform the familiar visits from Christmas Past, Present, and Future into genuinely unsettling encounters.
Eggers' previous work suggests he won't shy away from the story's darker implications. The existential horror of Scrooge's wasted life, the genuinely frightening appearance of the spirits, and the Gothic atmosphere of Victorian London all fall squarely within the director's wheelhouse. His version could emphasize the psychological terror of confronting one's mortality and moral failures, themes that run through all his previous films.
Looking ahead
While A Christmas Carol remains in development, Eggers is still scheduled to direct Werwulf beforehand for Focus Features. This means audiences likely won't see his take on Scrooge until 2027 at the earliest. This timeline allows Eggers to fully develop his vision while continuing his hot streak of critically acclaimed period pieces.
The project represents a fascinating intersection of commercial appeal and artistic ambition. Eggers brings the prestige and critical acclaim that Warner Bros. covets, while the Christmas Carol property offers built-in audience recognition and seasonal marketing opportunities. If successful, this adaptation could establish Eggers as a director capable of handling both original material and beloved classics.
With Dafoe potentially in the lead role and Eggers behind the camera, this Christmas Carol promises to be unlike any that came before—a haunting meditation on redemption that could redefine how we see Dickens' immortal tale. In Eggers' hands, the ghosts of Christmas may finally be genuinely ghostly again.