Guillermo del Toro's next film, Nightmare Alley, has a new release date. The film is a remake of the 1947 noir film, itself an adaptation of the novel of the same name. The film will be del Toro's return to live-action cinema after The Shape of Water's Best Picture Oscar win in 2018. del Toro will also bring a live-action adaptation of Pinnochio to Netflix this year, one of several adaptations of that classic story.
Featuring a star-studded cast, Nightmare Alley explores the dark underbelly of show business, with the official synopsis pitting Bradley Cooper's manipulative carny and Cate Blanchett's mysterious psychiatrist head-to-head. Pictures from the set have shown off the film's period setting, with del Toro opting to set the film during the original's time instead of updating for a more modern tale. Joining Blanchett and Cooper are Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman, and Rooney Mara.
Now, Nightmare Alley has a release date after wrapping filming in December. Production was initially delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic but quickly got back on track, and now Fox Searchlight has set the film for a December 3, 2021 release date, according to Indiewire. That release will position the film in the thick of the 2022 awards season, with a likely debut on the fall film festival circuit ahead of its wider release in December.
An awards season push was likely regardless, especially after The Shape of Water's performance during its award season. The Shape of Water was the first sci-fi film to win Best Picture, and it's safe to say that del Toro could very well continue that streak. The filmmaker has consistently turned out fantastic work. On top of that, the phenomenal cast is full of awards season mainstays. Cooper, Blanchett, Dafoe, Collette, and Mara have all attracted awards season attention in the last few years, with Cooper being nominated for his turn as A Star is Born in 2019.
It is unknown how faithfully del Toro will be adapting from the original film or the novel, but early pictures from the set have shown that he is diving headfirst into film noir aesthetics of the first film. These early looks have shown everything from the sets to the costumes to the performances will be on par with del Toro's best. The director is known for his slate of unmade projects with massive potential, so it's a relief for fans of the director to see that the film is finished and primed for release. With Nightmare Alley debuting at the end of the year, barring any unfortunate turn of events, the film should stay at its release date and cap off what is sure to be another chaotic year for cinema.
Source: Indiewire