After several pandemic-related delays, Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley is finally set to premiere in theatres at the end of December. Recently, fans of del Toro's work got to see their first look at the new Neo-Noir thriller when the first trailer debuted online back in September. Now, Searchlight Pictures has released a short featurette that explores del Toro's love of film noir and gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at this mammoth production.
According to the official synopsis from Searchlight Pictures, Nightmare Alley follows "an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words [who] hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is." The new film is the second adaptation of the 1946 novel of the same name. The original film was released by 20th Century Fox in 1947 and was directed by Edmund Goulding. It starred Tyrone Power and Helen Walker in the roles that Cooper and Blanchett will play in the 2021 adaptation. The original film was critically acclaimed when it was released and remains one the most influential and memorable Film Noirs of all time.
The two-and-a-half-minute Nightmare Alley featurette opens with del Toro, who describes his new film as "the flipside of the American dream." Castmembers Willem Dafoe and Blanchett gush about the director's body of work, describing his films as "otherworldly" yet "Grounded in reality." Del Toro then describes his love for Film Noir, saying that for this film he "tried to study the language of the period." We then get some behind-the-scenes footage of del Toro directing stars Cooper and Blanchett before the featurette ends with del Toro saying that he wants Nightmare Alley to be "the modern equivalent of the movies that people complain they don't do anymore."
While del Toro and co. certainly have their work cut out for them, the new adaptation looks absolutely stunning. The new featurette goes to great lengths to show off the production value and scope of what looks to be another stylistic and visionary film from del Toro, who is known for his fantastical films such as Pan's Labyrinth and the Academy Award-winning monster film The Shape Of Water. Nightmare Alley was primarily shot in 2020 in Toronto, Canada, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, after a short hiatus, production was able to resume and the film was completed in time for a 2021 release date.
The film was initially slated for a November release but was pushed back to December. Nightmare Alley features a stacked cast, which includes Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Mary Steenburgen, and frequent Del Toro collaborator Ron Perlman.
Nightmare Alley will premiere in theatres on December 17th, 2021.
Source: SearchlightPictures | YouTube