A day after The Shape of Water led all other films with seven Golden Globe nominations, Guillermo del Toro’s relationship with Fox Searchlight has been solidified. The filmmaker and studio just announced two new genre films, one of which del Toro will write and direct, the other he’ll produce.
Image: Fox Searchlight
Variety reports that del Toro and Kim Morgan will co-write a remake of the 1947 film Nightmare Alley, with del Toro attached to direct. The original film was a film noir about a con man and psychic who outmanoeuvre each other while working at a carnival. So yes, a Guillermo del Toro carnival movie is a thing that may actually happen.
The other film, which del Toro will produce, is called Antlers, and it will be directed by Crazy Heart‘s Scott Cooper. The script was written by Henry Chaisson and Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca, based on Antosca’s short story The Quiet Boy. Variety describes it as a “supernatural horror spec that follows a young teacher who discovers that her troubled student’s father and younger brother harbour a deadly supernatural secret. Taking the boy into her care, the teacher must fight for their survival against horrors beyond imagination.”
“I am delighted to continue the producing partnership that has been forged with Fox Searchlight during the making of The Shape of Water,” del Toro said in a statement to Variety. “The entire team are great champions of true cinema. With both Nightmare Alley and Antlers I know we will create entertaining, elevated films.”
Del Toro has previously stated that after The Shape of Water he’s hoping to take a year off, so it’s unlikely Nightmare Alley is his next film. Plus, he’s always attached to several different projects, each just waiting for a spark to make it real. But, with this Searchlight deal, these two films feel a little further down the line than others.
[Variety]