David Strathairn, who earned an Oscar nomination for starring in Good Night, and Good Luck, has joined the high-wattage cast of Nightmare Alley, the noir thriller being written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Bradley Cooper is headlining the Fox Searchlight production, an adaptation of the 1946 noir novel by William Lindsay that first hit the screen as a 1947 film noir starring Tyrone Power.
Toni Collette, Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett are also on the bill. Michael Shannon, despite earlier reports, is not due to scheduling conflicts.
The story 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. Things go south for the poor sap when he is out-hustled by the woman.
Strathairn will play the alcoholic husband of Collette’s character, a mentalist named Zeena who ends up mentoring Cooper’s character.
Del Toro is directing the thriller and wrote the script with Kim Morgan. An early 2020 shoot in Toronto is being readied.
Strathairn earned a best actor nomination for portraying broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow in the acclaimed 2006 movie directed by George Clooney. His recent feature credits include Godzilla: King of Monsters and My Dinner With Herve and he co-starred in Showtime’s drama Billions and Amazon’s sci-fi thriller The Expanse.
Strathairn is repped by ICM Partners and Ryan Entertainment.
