There was much – well, some – wailing and gnashing of teeth when it was announced that Benedict Cumberbatch would not be starring in Guillermo del Toro’s haunted house chiller Crimson Peak. But those who like to see one hugely popular actor replaced by another can give a shout of joy because Loki himself, Tom Hiddleston, will be stepping in{
Del Toro already has a solid cast lined up for this one, with Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver and Burn Gorman all lined up for a supernatural tale of author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) who discovers that her charming new husband is not quite what he appears to be. Our guess is he’s eeevil!
Outside that basic logline, the script (by del Toro's regular co-writer Matthew Robbins and recently polished by Lucinda Coxon) is being kept secret, so we don’t yet know who (or what) his Hiddleston-ness will be playing. We can fairly guarantee that canny ol’ Guillermo has just increased the potential audience for this one, though…
With financing from Legendary Pictures and Universal exerting an option to pick it up and distribute it under the studio’s deal, Crimson Peak will be shooting in January. Then the screaming starts…
As for Hiddleston, he’ll be back in Loki togs (and prison, temporarily) for Thor: The Dark World on October 30, before also showing up in Only Lovers Left Alive and, briefly, in Muppets Most Wanted. Lest you forget, he’s also one of Empire’s cover stars for this issue.