Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ will now begin filming March 2020, likely still in Toronto, Canada. Cast member Willem Dafoe, (‘At Eternity’s Gate,’ ‘Aquaman’) made the reveal in an interview with Collider.
The full quote from Dafoe is below:
“I’m very excited about this project. Juicy project. A good role. We shoot that in March. We start in March.”
The other confirmed cast members are below:
- Bradley Cooper (‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’)
- Stan Carlisle, a mentalist who teams with his psychologist Lilith in order to swindle the rich.
- 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.
- David Strathairn (‘The Expanse,’ ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’)
- Pete Krumbein, Zeena’s alcoholic husband who ends up mentoring Stan Carlisle.
- Rooney Mara (‘Carol,’ ‘A Ghost Story’)
- Molly, the younger woman who catches Stan’s eye.
Dafoe plays the head barker at a traveling carnival who gives Stan Carlisle a job, ushering him into a world of showbiz and grifting.
There are also actors who are in talks for roles:
- Richard Jenkins (‘Kong: Skull Island,’ ‘The Shape of Water’)
- One of Stan’s marks. (Perhaps Ezra Grindle?)
- Ron Perlman (‘Hellboy,’ ‘Hand of God’)
- Bruno, the carnival’s strongman.
- Mark Povinelli (‘Water for Elephants,’ ‘My Dinner with Hervé’)
- Unknown.
‘The Little Drummer Girl’s Michael Shannon was in talks for the role that Dafoe eventually got, but could not commit due to scheduling conflicts.
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’)
- Costume designer Luis Sequeira (‘Mama,’ ‘It: Chapter Two’)
- 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’)
Fox Searchlight has not set a release date as of now.
Source: Collider