Willem Dafoe has gone from Jesus Christ to Antichrist in just twenty years.
The actor, who famously and controversially played Christ in Martin Scorsese’s 1988 film, The Last Temptation Of Christ, has signed on to play the lead role in a dark horror from Lars Von Trier called – you guessed it – Antichrist.
It doesn’t appear, though, that Dafoe – who has assayed his fair share of memorable villains in his time – will actually be playing the son of the Devil in this. Rather, he and British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg – who was originally cast as Kate Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins – will play a couple struggling to come to terms with the loss of their young son.
They retreat to a cabin in the woods to help along the healing process, and then things start to go a bit skew-whiff, in a movie that’s described as a psychological thriller that becomes a horror.
Sounds interesting, and with the always colourful Von Trier behind the camera, this is going to be worth keeping an eye on, especially when you consider his previous foray into horror, the truly terrifying mini-series, The Kingdom. Von Trier – who directed Dafoe in Manderlay (alongside Bryce Dallas Howard who, curiously enough, replaced Gainsbough in the Terminator sequel) – will direct from a script by Anders Thomas Jensen.
Filming starts this month in Germany.