*Courtesy of Getty Images / Samir Hussein.*

A day after Focus Features' announced Robert Eggers’ next film 'Werwulf,’ (his next film following 'Nosferatu'), the filmmaker has closed a deal to write and direct a new 'Labyrinth' film for TriStar Pictures.

The news follows the unveiling of the 2025 Oscar nominations, which included four for Eggers’ hit vampire flick in the Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design, and Makeup and Hairstyling categories.

Plot details for Eggers’ 'Labyrinth' are under wraps, but reports indicate the film is a sequel to Jim Henson’s 1986 classic — rather than a remake. Eggers is writing the script with Sjón, his collaborator on the 2022 Viking actioner 'The Northman' and with whom he’s also working on 'Werwulf'. Chris and Eleanor Columbus will produce alongside Lisa Henson, with Brian Henson executive producing.

A beloved musical fantasy starring a young Jennifer Connelly and the late David Bowie, 'Labyrinth' follows the former’s 16-year-old Sarah as she navigates a vast, otherworldly maze to rescue her infant brother, Toby (Toby Froud), whom she inadvertently wished away to the realm of Goblin King Jareth (Bowie). Throughout her journey, Sarah encounters a variety of magical creatures and challenges that test her resolve and maturity.

In its theatrical release through TriStar, the original underperformed, grossing only around $34 million against a reported budget of $25 million and faring better overseas than domestically. Still, the film earned nominations at the likes of the Hugo Awards and the BAFTA Film Awards and now is appreciated as a cult classic. Among its most memorable features is the innovative puppetry that emerged for the project from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Over the past few decades, the film’s popularity has led to tie-in novels and comic books, video games, perennial screenings, and even an annual fan masquerade ball, which is considered one of the largest in the world.

Efforts to get a 'Labyrinth' follow-up off the ground have been ongoing since at least 2017, with 'Doctor Strange’s' Scott Derrickson most recently attaching to direct a prior incarnation from a script by Maggie Levin.

Still playing in theaters, Eggers’ take on the gothic vampire tale 'Nosferatu' is the highest-grossing film of his career, having passed $156 million worldwide since Christmas Day. Heading into its eighth weekend at the box office and recently hitting PVOD, the film also is Focus Features’ second highest-grossing title stateside behind 'Downton Abbey'. It marks the celebrated genre filmmaker’s fourth on the heels of 'The Witch' and 'The Lighthouse' for A24 and 'The Northman' for Focus.

The plot of Eggers’ 'Werwulf' hasn’t been divulged, but the title is to be taken literally.

Produced and financed by Focus Features, the film is scheduled to debut in North American theaters on Christmas Day 2026. Eggers and Sjón will produce alongside Focus, with Maiden Voyage’s Chris and Eleanor Columbus executive producing.

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