Robert Eggers has indicated that he is considering a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet after finding his next horror project excessively bleak. Speaking during a Q&A following a screening of Werwulf, he joked that making a film about “two teenagers killing themselves” would provide a change of tone from his usual work.

Deadline previously reported that Eggers was looking to return to Focus Features for the project, although negotiations have not been completed and details remain confidential. If finalised, he is expected to direct and produce the adaptation, reuniting him with the studio behind films including The Lighthouse, Nosferatu and Werwulf, which is set in 14th-century England and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe.