The second trailer for Robert Eggers’ upcoming horror film Werwulf has arrived, and it delivers a dark twist on the classic werewolf story. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays a man in 13th-century England who is asked to join a hunt for a dangerous creature. The trailer shows that the hunter and the hunted may be the same person.
Focus Features released the new trailer on September 26, 2026, timed to the harvest moon. The film is set for a December 25, 2026 release in theaters.
The Story Behind the Transformation
Werwulf takes place in medieval England, a time when wolves still roamed the countryside. Willem Dafoe plays a seasoned hunter sent by the king to track down a beast that has been terrorizing villages. He asks a local man, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, to join the hunt.
The trailer reveals that Taylor-Johnson’s character is not just a helper. He is a man afflicted with a curse. Lily-Rose Depp plays his wife, who pleads with a priest to save her husband. The story is described as a “harrowing tale of devotion, damnation and the devil within.”
Robert Eggers co-wrote the script with Sjón, his collaborator on The Northman. The film reunites several actors from Eggers’ 2024 hit Nosferatu, including Taylor-Johnson, Depp, Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson.
What the New Trailer Shows
The two-and-a-half-minute trailer does not show a full transformation, but it makes clear that the change is coming. Taylor-Johnson’s character is seen shaking, looking toward the sky, and running bloody hands over his face under the moonlight.
Dafoe’s character explains why he has come to the village. “The raving wolf, spoiled by sin. I am sent from the king; be joined with us to hunt this beast,” he says in the trailer.
The film is spoken in a modified version of Old English. Eggers told Esquire that he wanted to make a werewolf movie after Nosferatu. “Let me be sensible and make a werewolf movie,” he said. “I wanted to do it in the UK because that’s where I live now.”
A Darker Take on the Werewolf Myth
Eggers said he was drawn to werewolf stories after reading historical accounts in high school. “They were doing things that were so taboo and hard for anyone to wrap their mind around because it was so extreme that they said ‘You can’t be a human, you must be a werewolf,’” he told TheWrap.
The director also researched the real history of wolves in England. Edward I launched a campaign to exterminate all wolves to protect the wool trade. Dafoe’s character is based on a real person who led that campaign. “If I was going to set it in England, it had to be this early in history, around 1300,” Eggers said. “The world would be like so primitive and so visceral and primal.”
The film is produced by Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus, who previously worked with Eggers on The Witch, The Lighthouse, and Nosferatu.
Cast and Release Details
Werwulf stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the cursed man, Lily-Rose Depp as his wife, Willem Dafoe as the king’s hunter, and Ralph Ineson as a leper who joins the journey. Bodhi Rae Breathnach also appears in the primary cast.
The film will be released exclusively in theaters on December 25, 2026, in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other global markets. It is distributed by Focus Features. A specific streaming date has not been announced. The movie has not yet been rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Nosferatu, Eggers’ previous film, also opened on Christmas Day in 2024 and made more than $180 million worldwide. Werwulf is expected to follow a similar release pattern.
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Trailer Reception and Alternate Reality Game
The new trailer has drawn strong reactions from horror fans. One fan comment quoted by ComicBook.com said, “This is the most Eggers that Robert Eggers has ever Eggered.”
Along with the trailer, Focus Features launched an alternate reality game tied to the film’s full moon theme. Details about the game are available on the movie’s official pages.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is known for roles in Kick-Ass, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Kraven the Hunter. Lily-Rose Depp starred in Nosferatu and the series The Idol. Willem Dafoe has worked with Eggers on The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu.
Werwulf arrives in theaters on December 25, 2026.
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