Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ Has Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe & More in Talks to Join Cast

Aug 2, 2019

Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ now has eight actors in talks to join the cast alongside Bradley Cooper (‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’), who plays Stan Carlisle.

So, without further ado, here are the actors and most of the revealed roles:

  • Cate Blanchett (‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ ‘Ocean’s Eight’)
    • Lilith Ritter, Stan’s psychologist, who may or may not be trustworthy despite her oath of confidentiality.
  • Toni Collette (‘Hereditary,’ ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’)
    • Zeena Krumbein, who works in a traveling carnival where she bills herself as a psychic known as Mademoiselle Zeena.
  • Willem Dafoe (‘At Eternity’s Gate,’ ‘Aquaman’)
    • Pete Krumbein, however it is unclear whether that character will be Zeena’s alcoholic husband or her father.
  • Richard Jenkins (‘Kong: Skull Island,’ ‘The Shape of Water’)
    • One of Stan’s marks. (Perhaps Ezra Grindle?)
  • Rooney Mara (‘Carol,’ ‘A Ghost Story’)
    • Molly, the younger woman who catches Stan’s eye.
  • Ron Perlman (‘Hellboy,’ ‘Hand of God’)
    • Bruno, the carnival’s strongman.
  • Mark Povinelli (‘Water for Elephants,’ ‘My Dinner with Hervé’)
    • Unknown.
  • Michael Shannon (‘Fahrenheit 451,’ ‘The Little Drummer Girl’)
    • Unknown.

Moreover, the premise of William Lindsay Gresham’s novel (of the same name) is below:

“A study of the lowest depths of showbiz and its sleazy inhabitants – the dark, shadowy world of a second rate carnival filled with hustlers, scheming grifters, and Machiavellian femmes fatales.”

Meanwhile, del Toro serves as director and co-writer, with Kim Morgan (‘The Forbidden Room’).

The most recent film from del Toro is ‘The Shape of Water,’ which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Another project in the works is Netflix’s ‘Pinocchio,’ which is currently in pre-production, releasing in 2021.

The crew, thus far, comprises of:

  • Cinematographer Dan Laustsen (‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’)
  • Production designer Tamara Deverell (‘The Strain,’ ‘Star Trek: Discovery’)
  • Special effects supervisor Shane Mahan (‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ ‘Captain Marvel’)
  • Supervising art director Brandt Gordon (‘Crimson Peak,’ ‘Shazam!’)
  • Visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi (‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,’ ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’)

Further, filming will now begin January 13, 2020 and wrap May 6, 2020 in Toronto, Canada.

Fox Searchlight has not set a release date as of now.

Source: Variety and Collider