Guillermo del Toro’s Cold War Romance Adds Michael Stuhlbarg, Drops Mic

If the cast of Guillermo del Toro’s new movie is any indication, it could be the fantasy-horror master’s best film yet. (Then again, Crimson Peak had a knockout cast and most people disliked that film. Most people are nuts.) Joining the great Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the untitled project is Michael Stuhlbarg, one of the absolute best actors on the planet.

THR reports that the former Boardwalk Empire star has joined the cast of del Toro’s latest effort, which begins shooting this summer. Set against the backdrop of the Cold War in 1963, the project is described as “a mysterious and magical journey” that revolves around an “otherworldly love story.” Mysterious. Magical. Otherworldly. Period setting. All of del Toro’s usual boxes have been officially checked off.

Stuhlbarg is one of those fascinating actors who’s managed to deliver some incredible work in great films like A Serious Man, Blue Jasmine and Steve Jobs, as well as a few not-so-great films like Men in Black 3 and Trumbo. And yet, for all his consistently excellent work, the man has never been nominated for an Oscar — much less an Emmy after all that time he spent on Boardwalk Empire. It’s a national emergency.

The actor can be seen this fall opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in Marvel’s Doctor Strange, in which he plays rival surgeon Nicodemus West. Stuhlbarg also stars opposite Amy Adams in Story of Your Life, a new sci-fi film from Sicario director Denis Villeneuve. Del Toro’s latest does not yet have a release date, and it remains unclear if the director is still involved with the long-developing adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, given his ever-revolving door of projects.