Guillermo del Toro Starts Production on His “Other-Worldly” Next Film THE SHAPE OF WATER
I’ve been extremely curious about Guillermo del Toro’s next film project The Shape of Water. There hasn’t been a lot of official information released on it, but the film has officially started production in Toronto, Canada.
The film is described as an “other-worldly love story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963.” It’s also said to a “mysterious and magical journey.” The movie has an incredible cast which includes Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine, Happy-Go-Lucky), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, 99 Homes), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Doug Jones (Crimson Peak, Hellboy), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Steve Jobs), and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Gifted).
There’s been some rumored info regarding the story which is said to follow a “mute janitor named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) who falls for an amphibious man who's being kept at the lab where she works. She tries to break him out with the help of her neighbor (probably played by Richard Jenkins), but ‘the world outside of the lab, however, may prove to be more dangerous for the amphibious man than Elisa could have anticipated.’”
Del Toro had this to say in a statement:
“I started working on The Shape of Water right around the time we moved to Toronto for Pacific Rim. Working with Fox Searchlight and being supported by this beautiful group of actors and artists, I feel extremely blessed and brave.”
The producers of the film are thrilled to have Del Toro working on bringing this story to life and producer J. Miles Dale said:
“It feels like we have an embarrassment of riches on this film. An ensemble of incredible actors who are working at the very top of their craft, a wildly original story from Guillermo’s one-of-a-kind mind, and the brilliant team at Fox Searchlight to shepherd us along. We’re all very excited to see how far we can take it,” says producer Dale.
Del Toro has brought his long-time collaborators on board to help him make this film as great as possible. That includes costume designer Luis Sequeira (The Strain, Mama, Carrie), director of photography Dan Laustsen (John Wick: Chapter Two, Crimson Peak, Mimic), visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi (Crimson Peak, Mama, Fight Club), and editor Sidney Wolinsky (The Strain, House of Cards, The Sopranos).
As a huge fan of Del Toro’s previous work I’m excited to see how this next mysterious film project turns out!