The Universal panel is underway at this year’s CinemaCon event in Las Vegas, and among the many films promoted during the panel were the ones in the Focus Features lineup – with the most hyped of the bunch being Robert Eggers‘ Werwulf, which is said to be Eggers’ “most terrifying vision yet.”
Beyond Werwulf, Focus Features took the opportunity to draw attention to
- Georgia Oakley’s “fresh, utterly irresistible take” on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility
- Obsession, hailed by audiences as “pure nightmare fuel,” from rising horror auteur Curry Barker
- The Uprising, which sees Paul Greengrass direct Andrew Garfield as the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II
- Pressure, from the producers of Darkest Hour, directed by Anthony Maras, follows the untold true story of the fateful 72 hours before D-Day, where one wrong move – and the threat of mother nature’s wrath – could ruin everything, featuring an all-star cast including Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, and Damian Lewis
- Pop sensation Hayley Kiyoko makes her feature debut with the coming-of-age film Girls Like Girls, based on her hit song and #1 NYT Bestseller
What is Werwulf about?
Eggers has written the screenplay for Werwulf with Sjón, his co-writer on the Viking saga The Northman. Details are being kept under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter’s sources told them “the story is set in 13th century England. The script also features dialogue that was true to the time period and has translations and annotations for those uninitiated to Old English. Initially, Eggers was planning on shooting the feature in black and white, but that is no longer the case. Suffice to say that considering the setting and the dialect, Eggers is promising another deep dive into a muddy, costumed, and violent time period consistent with his oeuvre which has earned him a loyal film following.“ Screen Daily adds that the story centers on a mysterious creature who stalks a foggy countryside as local folklore becomes a terrifying reality for the villagers.
Werwulf is a Nosferatu reunion, as the film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Ralph Ineson, and Willem Dafoe. Teen actress Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who just made her feature debut in Hamnet, is also in there.
The film is aiming for a Christmas Day 2026 theatrical release.
What was shown at CinemaCon?
JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray is at CinemaCon and provided the following report:
Sense and Sensibility is very much the elevated arthouse version of that story compared to the Emma Thompson one from the ’90s. It has a muted color palette, natural lighting, shot in 1:33:1. Looks fairly good, but I’m not sure it’s really needed.
Werwulf is shot super narrow, like Nosferatu. It’s not olde English as has been reported. It’s normal dialogue. Aaron Taylor Johnson is the werewolf and it looks like it might be the greatest werewolf movie since An American Werewolf in London. Trailer ended with a glimpse of the transformation. As expected, this trailer got “Holy shit” reactions from those in the room.
Bumbray already had the chance to watch Focus Features’ Obsession last month; you can read his 8/10 review HERE.
Are you looking forward to any of the films in the Focus Features lineup? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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