Willem Dafoe, who plays Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, previously played a fictionalized vampiric Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), which is a quasi-remake of and fictional behind-the-scenes look at Nosferatu (1922).
Contrary to popular belief, the vampire's name is Orlok, not Nosferatu. "Nosferatu" is an archaic Romanian word for "vampire." The origins of the word are unknown.
Harry Styles and Anya Taylor-Joy were originally cast in the lead roles. Styles dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, and the project got delayed, which resulted in Taylor-Joy also dropping out later, as she was filming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) at the time. Lily-Rose Depp took over Taylor-Joy's role.
This makes the third collaboration between Robert Eggers and Ralph Ineson after The Witch (2015) and The Northman (2022).