Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s New Gothic Horror Movie Officially Continues 11-Year Rating Streak

Published Nov 11, 2026, 12:02 PM EST

Maggie Dela Paz is a News and TV writer at ScreenRant. She has nearly a decade of professional experience in writing entertainment articles about a wide range of topics, including movies, television, music, anime, streaming, and more.

Werwulf has finally received its MPA rating.

Taylor-Johnson will star in the new horror from acclaimed filmmaker Robert Eggers. The Golden Globe-winning actor plays a villager afflicted by a lycanthropic curse that transforms him into the same monster terrorizing their town. The upcoming movie marks Taylor-Johnson’s second collaboration with Eggers, after they first worked together on 2024's Nosferatu. The critically acclaimed horror is currently the director’s highest-grossing feature to date, with a worldwide gross of around $182 million against a $50 million budget.

According to FilmRatings, Werwulf has officially been granted an R-rating by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) due to "strong bloody/disturbing violent content, gore, sexual assault, graphic nudity, and strong sexual content." The upcoming movie's MPA rating continues Eggers' R-rated streak, which has already become a signature element of his movies.

This began with 2015's The Witch starring Anya Taylor-Joy, which served as Eggers' feature-length directorial debut. Since then, the horror filmmaker has only directed R-rated movies, including The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu.

Described as Eggers’ most visceral and haunting movie yet, Focus Features’ Werwulf chronicles a harrowing tale of devotion, damnation, and the devil within. The story takes place in medieval England, where a small village is being terrorized by a mysterious beast. According to Eggers, Werwulf won’t follow the same tropes as other werewolf movies. The upcoming film will take an unconventional approach to the supernatural creature, making it darker than previous adaptations.

Robert Eggers directed and produced the upcoming movie, which he also co-wrote with Sjón. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is joined by Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, and Valeriia Karaman, all of whom have starred in Eggers' previous films. Werwulf will also star Ned Dennehy, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Jan Bijvoet, Jack Morries, and Ritchie Edwards. Besides Eggers, the movie is also produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Garrett Bird.

After Werwulf, Taylor-Johnson will next be seen starring opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in the upcoming crime thriller Blood on Snow,directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The story follows a hitman who unexpectedly falls in love with his next target. Taylor-Johnson is also attached to star in Tom Ford's period drama Cry to Heaven,based on Anne Rice's 1982 novel of the same name.

Meanwhile, Eggers has already found his next directorial project: a new Romeo and Juliet movie, which recently sparked a bidding war among major studios.

Werwulf is set to arrive in theaters on December 25, 2026. Its theatrical release date will pit the horror movie against tough box-office competition, including Dwayne Johnson's Jumanji: Open World, David Corenswet's Mr. Irrelevant, and Andrew Garfield's Artificial. It will also debut in the same month as other high-profile movies, including Violent Night 2, Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, and The Angry Birds Movie 3.

Cast

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  Uncredited

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  Lily-Rose Depp

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  Bodhi Rae Breathnach

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  Ralph Ineson

Villagers in medievel Britain face down a legendary creature emerging from the misty landscape in Robert Egger's latest pastoral horror feature, set for release on Christmas  day in 2026.