When does Werwulf open? Dec 25, 2026 — Eggers; Middle English; Taylor-Johnson/Depp/Dafoe; ≠ Violent Night 2.
Current target date: Friday, December 25, 2026 (Theatrical premiere). We update this page when studios or publishers move the window.
Werwulf opens Dec 25, 2026 (Focus). Eggers/Sjón; 13th-c. England; Middle English; Taylor-Johnson/Depp/Dafoe. UK Jan 1 2027. ≠ Dec 4 Santa sequel.
Theatrical premiere
Friday, December 25, 2026
December 25, 2026 — Eggers’s Middle English werewolf lands on Christmas Day
Werwulf opens Friday, December 25, 2026 from Focus Features. Eggers and Sjón set a 13th-century England curse story — Taylor-Johnson’s farmer, Depp’s wife, Dafoe’s hunter — after Nosferatu proved Christmas Day can sell period horror.
Cameras rolled September 2025 through January 2026 across England and Wales. Track Dec 25, 2026 on the Focus theatrical card (U.K. Jan 1, 2027) — not a streaming soft launch and not Dec 4’s Santa sequel.
Confirmed: Dec 25 2026 Eggers / Middle English — not Violent Night 2, not a YA wolf remake, not Nosferatu 2
Confirmed: December 25, 2026 U.S. theatrical; Eggers/Sjón; Taylor-Johnson/Depp/Dafoe/Ineson; 13th-century England; Middle English; Christmas Day Focus drop. Not confirmed as a Universal Monsters shared-universe chapter, as a Dec 4 open, or as a Nosferatu sequel. Fake “Bill Skarsgård returns as wolf” stubs invent a corridor.
From Nosferatu’s Christmas hit to another Dec 25 curse
- 2024 — Nosferatu opens Christmas; Eggers/Focus period horror breakout.
- Post-Nosferatu — Focus dates Eggers’s next for December 2026.
- Jul 2025 — Taylor-Johnson, Depp, Dafoe, Ineson casting locked.
- Sep 2025–Jan 2026 — England/Wales shoot (Elstree + locations).
- Dec 25 2026 / Jan 1 2027 — U.S. Christmas Day; U.K. New Year’s Day.
Specifics that keep this off generic “elevated werewolf” templates
- Language: Middle English — not modern slang lycanthrope YA.
- Era: 13th-century England folk horror after Witch / Northman / Nosferatu.
- Crew spine: Blaschke / Ford / Carolan — Eggers regulars returning.
- Producers: Eggers/Sjón + Columbus family + Working Title / Focus.
- Calendar neighbor: Violent Night 2 is Dec 4 — this is Dec 25.
Christmas Day 2026 is a Middle English werewolf movie — Eggers doubling down on Nosferatu’s holiday bet
Focus already proved Dec 25 can open a black-and-white vampire film. Werwulf keeps the Christmas Day slot and goes further into period texture: 13th-century England, Middle English, Taylor-Johnson cursed, Dafoe hunting. It’s the anti–Violent Night holiday movie sharing a December calendar and almost nothing else.
Honest pages keep the Dec 25 Focus Friday, the language/era lock, and refuse to sell a modern CGI wolf franchise or a Nosferatu Part II stub as this SKU.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this release date.
1When does Werwulf open?
Friday, December 25, 2026 in U.S. theaters from Focus Features — Christmas Day, same holiday strategy as Eggers’s Nosferatu. U.K. follows January 1, 2027 via Universal.
2Who stars, and who directs?
Robert Eggers directs a script with Sjón. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the cursed farmer; Lily-Rose Depp plays his wife; Willem Dafoe plays the hunter; Ralph Ineson returns in the Eggers company. Jarin Blaschke shoots; Robin Carolan scores.
3Is the dialogue in modern English?
No. The film is listed with Middle English as its language — a 13th-century England folk-horror setting, not a contemporary werewolf teen thriller. Expect period texture closer to The Witch / The Northman lane than Twilight.
4Is this the same Christmas as Violent Night 2?
No. Violent Night 2 opens December 4, 2026. Werwulf takes Christmas Day, December 25. Same month, different Fridays and completely different genres — don’t merge the countdowns.
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