Focus Features has won a bidding war against A24, Sony, and Warner Bros. to secure Robert Eggers' next project: a new adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The deal, announced September 22, marks a sharp turn for the director of The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, Nosferatu, and the upcoming Werwulf.
The adaptation will reportedly feature actors speaking in Early Modern English, in keeping with Eggers' obsessive approach to period authenticity. Every one of his five features has used archaic or period-specific dialogue as a formal element. Romeo and Juliet appears to be no exception, however far the material sits from a haunted forest or a vampire's castle.
The announcement followed a Q&A at Beyond Fest for Werwulf, where Eggers acknowledged the tonal shift with characteristic dry wit. After describing how his next screenplay "got so dark again," he told the audience: "I need a break. So, I'll do something about two teenagers killing themselves," according to Deadline. The line belongs to a filmmaker who has not exactly walked away from tragedy. Only relocated it.
Werwulf, set in 14th century England and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe, opens December 25. Eggers co-wrote the script with Sjón, his collaborator on The Northman. The Romeo and Juliet project carries no cast or production timeline yet.
Focus Features has distributed every Eggers film since The Northman. That the studio beat out A24 in a competitive bidding war for his next project suggests something more durable than a distribution deal. What Eggers does with star-crossed lovers in Early Modern English is the only open question.
