Guillermo del Toro is putting together one hell of a cast for his Nightmare Alley, an adaptation of the novel by William Lindsay Gresham, with Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Rooney Mara all recently signing on to star in the film. We've now learned that Willem Dafoe (Antichrist, The Lighthouse) will also have a starring role!
Variety breaks the news, stating that Dafoe "will play the head barker at a traveling carnival who gives Bradley Cooper’s character a job, ushering him into a world of show biz and grifting."
Del Toro co-wrote the script with Kim Morgan, and will direct the thriller for Fox Searchlight.
"The story is set in a world of carnival hustlers and con men, telling the story of a mentalist (Cooper) who teams with a psychologist in order to swindle the rich. Things go south for the poor sap when he is out-hustled by the woman."
The original novel was published in 1946 and spawned its first feature film one year later, which starred Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell.
Production is eyeing a start date at the beginning of 2020.