Guillermo del Toro is a busy man – so busy, in fact, that it’s only now that the director’s Cold War fantasy project is beginning to gain some momentum.
It’s titled The Shape of Water, and earlier today Fox Searchlight announced that production was officially underway. Having hatched the idea while orchestrating kaiju chaos in Pacific Rim – before Crimson Peak and The Strain stole his attention soon after Legendary’s blockbuster creature feature – del Toro has spent the last few months quietly assembling a star-studded cast.
To date, Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon and Richard Jenkins have all agreed on terms to star, with Shannon reportedly attached to the villain role. Rounding out the enviable ensemble today are Doug Jones (Crimson Peak), Michael Stuhlbarg and Hidden Figures star Octavia Spencer, though Fox Searchlight stopped short of disclosing specific character details at such an early stage.
However, the studio did roll out an all-too-brief synopsis for The Shape of Water, unveiling “an other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. A mysterious and magical journey from Guillermo del Toro.” Teasers don’t come much more enticing than that, and even now, del Toro’s latest is already drawing comparisons to the beloved Pan’s Labyrinth. Vanessa Taylor (Game of Thrones), meanwhile, co-wrote the script alongside the beloved Mexican filmmaker.
So, there you have it; Guillermo del Toro’s latest, The Shape of Water, is a Cold War thriller with fantasy elements. Intrigued yet?