Principal Photography on Searchlight Pictures’ ‘Nightmare Alley’ from Guillermo del Toro begins

Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn Star

Searchlight Pictures announced that principal photography on NIGHTMARE ALLEY began this week on location in Toronto, Canada. The film stars Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper (A STAR IS BORN, AMERICAN SNIPER), Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (BLUE JASMINE, ELIZABETH), Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (KNIVES OUT, “Unbelievable”), Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe (THE LIGHTHOUSE, AT ETERNITY’S GATE), Academy Award nominee Richard Jenkins (THE SHAPE OF WATER, THE VISITOR), Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara (CAROL, GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO), Ron Perlman (PACIFIC RIM, HELLBOY), and Academy Award nominee David Strathairn (LINCOLN, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK). 

Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro (THE SHAPE OF WATER, PAN’S LABYRINTH) directs and co-writes with Kim Morgan (THE FORBIDDEN ROOM).  The film is being produced by del Toro and Academy Award winner J. Miles Dale (ANTLERS, THE SHAPE OF WATER). It is based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham. The film will be overseen by Searchlight Pictures Presidents of Production for Film and Television David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield and Senior Vice President DanTram Nguyen.

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro said “I’m inspired and elated to be joined by this brilliant cast. Kim Morgan and I have worked with great passion to bring the dark, raw world and language of William Gresham to the screen and now we are joined by a superb group of artists and technicians to bring it to life.”

“Given the depth of this incredible cast, I consider it a bucket list privilege to be working alongside them all with the support of our great partners at Searchlight. It’s going to be a joy to watch these world class actors and Guillermo elevate each other’s craft in this new interpretation of Gresham’s seminal novel,” said producer Dale.

In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious young carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.

The carnival cast includes carnival worker Molly (Rooney Mara), head barker Clem (Willem Dafoe), and Ron Perlman as Bruno the Strongman. Richard Jenkins is part of the high society crowd as wealthy industrialist Ezra Grindle.

“It is an absolute thrill and honor to be collaborating with Guillermo once again. He has assembled what can only be described as a dream team of actors and creative talent to help bring his singular vision of NIGHTMARE ALLEY to the big screen,” said Greenbaum and Greenfield.  

Joining del Toro on the film are long time collaborators costume designer Luis Sequeira (THE SHAPE OF WATER, MAMA), director of photography Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF (THE SHAPE OF WATER, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3), and visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi (THE SHAPE OF WATER, CRIMSON PEAK),  production designer Tamara Deverell (“Star Trek: Discovery”, “The Strain”) and editor Cam McLauchlin (THE SHAPE OF WATER, “The Strain”).  Searchlight shall distribute the picture worldwide.

Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and is part of The Walt Disney Studios.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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