Leonardo DiCaprio’s Headed Into NIGHTMARE ALLEY With Guillermo Del Toro

Here's a double-shot of unexpected news: for starters, Guillermo del Toro - working from a script he co-wrote with Kim Morgan - will next direct Nightmare Alley, based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham (also the source of the 1947 film of the same name). In addition to that, Variety reports that Leonardo DiCaprio - soon to be seen in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - is in negotiations to headline the film.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Variety has a solid synopsis. The film is about...

"...an ambitious young con-man who hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more corrupt than he is. At first, they enjoy success fleecing people with their mentalist act, but then she turns the table on him, out-manipulating the manipulator."

So, a noir-ish con-man thriller, directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Leonardo DiCaprio? Yes, that sounds like something we'll enjoy very much, thank you. We've long wondered what del Toro might do to follow-up 2017's Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, and this is a most intriguing choice: assuming this is a straight-up remake (which is, admittedly, probably not an entirely safe assumption), Nightmare Alley should find del Toro working just outside the supernatural. One wonders if it'll be a period piece (crosses fingers).

Nothing further to report at this time, but obviously we're very curious to learn more, and will be keeping our ear to the ground for further updates. Stay tuned for those, and feel free to sound off in the space provided below if you've got anything to add to all this.