The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro’s long-brewing Cold War fantasy flick, now has a release date to call its own: December 8th, 2017.
That places it smack bang in the middle of Hollywood’s annual awards season, and though it’s far too soon to gauge the movie’s Oscar credentials, an early December release stands as an exciting vote of confidence from Fox Searchlight. Pitched as an “otherworldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963,” The Shape of Water has quietly assembled an all-star cast over the past few months, one which includes Sally Hawkins, Midnight Special‘s Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Lauren Lee Smith, Michael Stuhlbarg, Hidden Figures star Octavia Spencer and Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth), a frequent del Toro collaborator who is said to be on board as the inexplicable “aquatic man.”
Jones, who also holds a role in CBS’ upcoming Star Trek: Discovery series, is something of a veteran in the world of prosthetics. The exact specifics of his character remain a mystery at this early stage, but nevertheless, another collaboration between Doug Jons and GDT can only be a good thing, particularly after the latter called time on Hellboy 3.
It’s neither a sci-fi movie nor a genre film, but thanks to The Shape of Water‘s official synopsis, you’ll be able to get a taste of what to expect come December. Spoilers: it’s wonderfully weird.
From master storyteller Guillermo del Toro, comes The Shape of Water – an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Elisa’s life is changed forver when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. Rounding out the cast are Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones.
It’s official: The Shape of Water is booked in for December 8th. Del Toro also holds a writing credit on the upcoming blockbuster sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising. Look for that one to debut on February 23rd, 2018.