Iconic horror classic “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is getting a contemporary reimagining from the Dowdle Brothers, who have tapped Michael Shannon, co-star of their Emmy-nominated “Waco” mini-series, to lead the project.
“Doctor Caligari’s Cabinet of Wonders” will be directed by John Erick Dowdle (“No Escape,” “As Above So Below”) from his own screenplay, alongside his brother and producing partner Drew Dowdle.
Anton is fully financing the film as well as handling worldwide rights at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin. CAA Media Finance will co-rep North American rights with Anton.
The mind-bending psychological horror will star Shannon (“Man of Steel,” “Nuremberg”) as the titular villain, Doctor Caligari, a traveling mesmerist who journeys from town to town with a sleepwalker under his control, leaving a trail of grisly murders in their wake. When a young woman’s boyfriend disappears mysteriously, she believes that the enigmatic Caligari is somehow responsible. The problem is — nobody believes her.
“Having worked with Michael Shannon on multiple projects, my brother and I have seen firsthand the unnerving intensity he can bring to even the simplest moments,” said John Erick Dowdle. “The idea of seeing him play the horrifying Doctor Caligari became an obsession for us. The trust and creative shorthand we’ve built together will allow us to push deeper and bolder as we reimagine this iconic German Expressionist classic for a modern audience. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this nightmare to life with him.”
Sébastien Raybaud (“Victorian Psycho,” “Greenland 2”) and Brandt Wrightsman (“Greenland 2”) will produce for Anton, alongside Drew Dowdle for Brothers Dowdle Productions, and Stuart Manashil (“His House,” “Pieces of a Woman”). Principal photography will commence June 2026.
Robert Wiene’s original “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” a German silent film released in 1920, is widely considered to be the first true horror movie and the most famous example of German Expressionist cinema that heavily influenced the U.S. film noir period of the 1940s and 50s.
Other upcoming projects for Anton include “My Darling California,” the darkly comic crime thriller featuring Jessica Chastain, Josh Brolin, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison, Don Cheadle and Charles Melton and “In Love,” an illuminating modern love story starring George Clooney and Annette Bening. It most recently announced the alien invasion thriller “Soon You Will Be Gone and Possibly Eaten” starring Sophie Wilde, for sales at EFM.
Shannon is represented by CAA and Range Media Partners, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich, Goodell & Gellman.
English (US) ·