Upcoming horror film Nightmare Alley, from Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, has received an R-rating. Nightmare Alley is based upon a novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, and the film was co-written by del Toro and Kim Morgan. This will be del Toro's first feature film since his Best Picture winning The Shape of Water in 2017. Nightmare Alley boasts a stellar cast with Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and long-time collaborator Ron Perlman. The official synopsis reads: "An ambitious carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is."
Film Ratings (via ComingSoon) reports that Nightmare Alley has been rated R for "strong/bloody violence, some sexual content, nudity, and language." The rating and description are in line with del Toro's previous work, as films like Pan's Labyrinth and Crimson Peak were each rated R for similar reasons. Nightmare Alley is currently slated to hit theaters on December 3rd, 2021, putting it in a high traffic month that will also see the debuts of The Matrix 4, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Steven Speilberg's West Side Story. However, each film is likely to draw different demographics.
In addition to Nightmare Alley, del Toro co-wrote and co-directed a dark take on Pinocchio, which is slated to drop later this year. That film features its own star-studded cast with the likes of Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, Cate Blanchett, and Tilda Swinton. Depending on the final release date, Pinocchio could even release around the same time as Nightmare Alley, though Pinocchio is headed to Netflix. Either way, fans of del Toro's work have quite the year to look forward to.
Source: Film Ratings (via ComingSoon)