Superbad, Zombieland, Easy A, The Help and The Amazing Spider-Man - very different movies with one thing in common: Emma Stone. And it’s not just the fact that she’s a part of the casts for those films. No matter the role Stone takes, her personality always seems to shine through.
It might come off like a backhanded compliment, but it's not - Stone is just so naturally charismatic and funny, why wouldn't we want to see her personality on screen? But will Stone be able to keep that fun-loving sass intact for Guillermo del Toro's forthcoming horror movie?
As reported by Variety, Stone is currently in talks for the lead role in del Toro’s haunted house thriller, Crimson Peak. The negotiations are only in the early stages, but the outlet does note an official deal is likely.
Del Toro is locked to direct the script he penned with Matthew Robbins and plans to rework it with Lucinda Coxon ahead of the film’s February 2014 start date. Legendary Pictures isn’t revealing plot details just yet, but back in December, del Toro took to his message boards to say, “It's set at the turn of the century and it is a Gothic romance with ghosts. When I use the GR term I use it not in the Barbara Cartland model but rather in a Bronte fashion. Dark and stormy and wind-swept.”
He also told Deadline it’s “a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules.”
Del Toro also highlighted his enthusiasm to stick with Legendary, as the studio is permitting him to keep in line with "big-sized horror movies" like The Haunting, The Innocents and The Shining. Del Toro noted, "I think people are getting used to horror subjects done as found footage or B-value budgets. I wanted this to feel like a throwback."
Come 2014, should Legendary let del Toro do Crimson Peak on a grander scale with the sets and production value of the aforementioned films, this could mean a major adjustment for Stone. If Peak looks anything like del Toro’s next release, Mama (we’re talking chilling environments and a grey color palette), there might not be any room those now quintessential Emma Stone nuances or her on-point comedic timing.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a little comedy in horror, but based on the direction del Toro seems to be taking this one, Crimson Peak could mark Stone’s biggest departure from her wheelhouse yet – that is, if she signs on the dotted line.
Crimson Peak is expected to start shooting in early 2014.
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Source: Variety, Guillermo del Toro & Deadline
Follow Perri on Twitter @PNemiroff.