HEREDITARY star Toni Collette is the latest impressive talent to sign on for director Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of the William Lindsay Gresham novel NIGHTMARE ALLEY, a story that was previously turned into a movie back in 1947. Collette joins a cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara.
The noir thriller 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.
Collette will be playing "a mentalist named Zeena who mentors the protagonist." She had this to say about venturing into NIGHTMARE ALLEY:
Guillermo is a true auteur. I look forward to collaborating with him and the amazing cast he has already assembled. What an honour."
Scripted by Kim Morgan and del Toro, NIGHTMARE ALLEY is expected to start filming in Toronto early next year.
The announcement of Collette's casting also mentions that Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon are up for roles in the film. Both of them are always welcome additions to any cast, and they both worked with del Toro on his Best Picture-winning film THE SHAPE OF WATER.