I was disappointed when it was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch had dropped out of Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming haunted house movie CRIMSON PEAK. Granted, it may be to appear in the new STAR WARS, but Cumberbatch just strikes me as the perfect choice to appear in a gothic horror film. So, who could possibly replace a pale, suave British actor with an intensity that fanboys have come to respect? How about Loki?
Deadline is reporting that Tom Hiddleston will take over the role that Cumberbatch has vacated. Filming is scheduled to start in January and will tell the story of a woman who discovers that her new husband is not who he claims to be.
Co-starring Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam, Guillermo Del Toro has described CRIMSON PEAK as a return to the type of haunted house movies we have not seen since the 1960s. With Legendary Entertainment partnering with Universal on the film, hopefully we will get the type of big studio horror movies that we don't get anymore. I don't think this is going to be like Jan De Bont's THE HAUNTING, but I do want this to have the scale and terror that independent horror just doesn't seem to muster. Hiddleston is a heck of an actor and he is a very good choice to supplement this cast. I couldn't have named someone better to replace Cumberbatch.