Fans of Guillermo del Toro’s unique brand of atmosphere and tone get excited whenever he releases a new project. But that excitement now extends well beyond just his diehard fans, considering he’s coming off Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. So all eyes are on del Toro’s next film, Nightmare Alley, which had some big new casting news today.
Variety reports that Cate Blanchett is in talks to join Bradley Cooper in the film. Plus, Collider is reporting Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, and Michael Shannon are at various stages of negotiations to potentially join them. Even if only half those people end up in the movie though, it’s like Guillermo del Toro is assembling his acting Avengers.
Co-written by del Toro and Kim Morgan, based on a 1946 William Lindsay Gresham novel, Nightmare Alley is about two dueling mentalist con artists at a carnival. It was previously made into a 1947 movie of the same name, and Cooper and Collette are likely to play two leads. Leonardo DiCaprio was circling the project but apparently has moved on, with Cooper moving in.
The idea of a movie without monsters feels like a departure for del Toro—but setting a film at an old-time carnival feels right in his wheelhouse. Either way, though, you don’t get this level of acting talent interested without a very strong vision, so we can’t wait to see what the director conjures up.
Nightmare Alley will start production in the coming months (either this fall or early 2020). A release date has not yet been set.
For more, make sure you’re following us on our new Instagram @io9dotcom.