After watching Robert Eggers’Nosferatu, I am intrigued by his upcoming sequel to a classic musical fantasy movie. Since his first feature film,The Witch, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Ineson, was released in 2015,Robert Eggers' movieshave become some of the most exciting in the entertainment industry.The success ofThe Witchwas followed by 2019’sThe Lighthouse, starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, which was shot in black-and-white and received extensive critical acclaim.
Eggers then tackled an epic revenge thriller that takes place in 10th-century Iceland with 2022’sThe Northman.Thecast ofThe Northmanis led by Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, and Taylor-Joy. WhileThe Witch,The Lighthouse, andThe Northmanare all well-regarded,Nosferatu’s positive reviews, box office success, and its influence on popular culture puts the vampire remake starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, and Dafoe in a class of its own. Coming off the momentum ofNosferatu, I amcurious to see how Eggers will handle the sequel to a 39-year-old movie.
Robert Eggers Is Making A Labyrinth Sequel After Nosferatu
He Is Directing Labyrinth 2 And Co-Writing The Screenplay With A Frequent Collaborator
Eggers’Labyrinth 2is slated as one of his upcoming movies. He is directing and co-writing the sequel to the originalLabyrinththat was released in 1986.Labyrinthwas directed by Jim Henson and contains the puppetry that is part of his iconic legacy. The story sees the teenage Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) navigating a maze to save her brother from the Goblin King, Jareth (David Bowie). During her journey, Sarah encounters many ofLabyrinth’s puppets, including Hoggle the dwarf and Ludo the troll.
Labyrinth’s Lost Puppet: Bizarre Story Of What Happened To Hoggle
Hoggle went on a strange and tortuous journey in Labyrinth, but he embarked on an even stranger one after the film wrapped when producers lost him.
Labyrinth 2is confirmed to be a sequel instead of being a remakeof the original movie. Eggers is co-writing the screenplay with Sjón, who also co-wrote the screenplay forThe Northman. Jim Henson’s children, Lisa and Brian, will serve as producers on the sequel. Lisa is the CEO of The Jim Henson Company while Brian has continued to work as a filmmaker and puppeteer.Labyrinth 2is not the only Eggers movie currently in development, as he is also working onWerwulf, which is scheduled to release on June 17, 2025, and which was also co-written with Sjón.
Labyrinth Is A Very Different Movie For Robert Eggers
It Is Drastically Different In Terms Of Style And IP
IfLabyrinth 2is anything like the original movie, it will be unlike any film that Eggers has directed before. Eggers' previous works tend to favor a muted, dark, and haunting aesthetic.Labyrinth’s visual style is far brighter and more colorful, partly due to some of the puppet designs. The use of puppets adds a sense of whimsy and a type of fantasy that does not exist in Eggers' other movies. Some aspects ofLabyrinthcan be unsettling, although these elements pale in comparison with the horror and dread in the stories Eggers has helmed.
The use of music and song is arguably the biggest difference betweenLabyrinthand a traditional Eggers movie.
The use of music and song is arguably the biggest difference betweenLabyrinthand a traditional Eggers movie. Singing does not work in some fantasy movies, but when David Bowie is playingthe Goblin King, it manages to work extraordinarily well.Labyrinth 2is not Eggers' first experience with an existing intellectual property, sinceNosferatuis a remake of a horror classic. However, this is the first time that Eggers is doing a sequel instead of a remake, which comes with challenges that are different from the complexities of reimaginingNosferatu.
Nosferatu Provides A Glimpse Into How Robert Eggers Could Reinvent Labyrinth
He Knows How To Make The Familiar Feel Unique
Even thoughNosferatuis a remake and not a sequel, it still shows hints of how Eggers can tackleLabyrinth 2. With theoriginalNosferatufilmexisting since 1922, it is a known commodity and a staple of the horror and vampire genres. Nevertheless,Eggers was able to put his own unique spin on a movie that is more than 100 years oldand make it feel fresh and exciting for audiences to watch. These changes include a new, terrifying design for Count Orlok and expanding many aspects of Ellen Hutter’s role in the story.
Nosferatu Ending Explained: What Happens In Ellen And Orlok’s Final Encounter
Robert Eggers' 2024 gothic horror movie sees an ancient vampiric evil curse curse a young woman and her loved ones in 1830s Germany.
Eggers' success with makingNosferatuhis own, while still honoring the original film, bodes well for his take onLabyrinth 2. He can honor the visual aesthetic, themes, and events of the first movie while also taking the sequel into new territory. Being a sequel instead of a remake arguably gives him even more creative freedom. Eggers does not need to retread a story that has already been told; he just needs to move the story forward afterLabyrinth’s ending. While Bowie passed away in 2016, Eggers' vision will hopefully include Connelly reprising her role as Sarah.
Nosferatu Is A Good Sign That Robert Eggers' Labyrinth Can Be A Bigger Hit
Two Of Eggers' Other Three Movies Were Also Box Office Successes
Nosferatunot only shows thatLabyrinth 2can be well-received, but it also demonstrates that the sequel can become a box office hit. WhileLabyrinthbecame a cult classic film, it only grossed around $13 million when released in 1986 (viaThe Numbers).Labyrinth’s box office total has grown in later years due to multiple theatrical re-releases. Meanwhile,Eggers’Nosferatugrossed over $180 million(viaThe Numbers). WhileLabyrinthunderperformed against its $25 million production budget,Nosferatusurpassed expectations after having a $50 million budget.
Nosferatuearned approximately $95 million domestically and $85 million internationally.
Nosferatu’s box office numbers further cement that Eggers has become one of today’s most exciting directors and that his involvement is enough to bring audiences to theaters.Labyrinth’s nostalgia and its connections to Henson, Bowie, and Connelly will automatically generate interest in the sequel, but that interest will be more widespread with Eggers at the forefront of the movie. WhileNosferatuis the most recent and prominent example of Eggers' movies performing well at the box office, it is not the first time his movies have done well commercially.
Legacy sequels that are released decades after the original can be hit or miss, but with Eggers directing and co-writing, I am optimistic that Eggers’Labyrinth 2will be a critical and commercial success akin toNosferatu.
The Witchhad a budget of $3.5 million and went on to make $40 million worldwide(viaThe Numbers).The Lighthousemade $18 million against its $4 million budget (viaThe Numbers). The only Eggers movie that has struggled at the box office isThe Northman, which grossed around $69 million against a $70-$90 million budget (viaThe Numbers). Legacy sequels that are released decades after the original can be hit or miss, but with Eggers directing and co-writing, I am optimistic that Eggers’Labyrinth 2will be a critical and commercial success akin toNosferatu.
Sources: Various (see above)
