The Witch director is shooting new film The Lighthouse in black and white

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Two years after making his feature directorial debut with the celebrated and divisive film THE WITCH (pictured above), Robert Eggers is now in production on his second feature THE LIGHTHOUSE, a thriller starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. 

All we've known about THE LIGHTHOUSE up to this point is contained in this vague description: 

Set at the start of the 20th century, the film is about lighthouse keepers in Maine. 

Now a bit more information has been revealed by editor Louise Ford, who mentioned in an interview with Mandy News that 

I'm currently on location in Nova Scotia, Canada, cutting Robert Eggers' second film, The Lighthouse, which stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. It's set in 1890, and we're shooting on 35mm black and white stock, virtually unheard of nowadays. Most black and white movies are shot in colour, and then converted to black and white in post. The dailies look beautiful; it's very exciting." 

Whatever the movie is about, whatever sort of thrilling things the characters have to deal with, it is really cool that it's being shot on black and white stock. Eggers could have very easily chosen to shoot it digitally and take the color out in post, but the fact that he's taking the old school approach is appreciated.

THE LIGHTHOUSE is being produced by Rodrigo Teixeira, Jan Van Hoy, Youree Henley, and Lourenço Sant’ Anna. Once this film is complete, Eggers is expected to move on to a NOSFERATU remake starring THE WITCH's Anya Taylor-Joy (when there's room for it in her packed schedule).