Our alternate headline for this was Benedict Cumberbatch Cumber-bails On “Crimson Peak,“ but that seemed a bit ridiculous. Either way, Guillermo Del Toro is now down a man, but he has plenty of time to find a replacement, so it’s probably not a project-altering departure.
THR broke the news on this one, and while the reasons the actor has exited the picture aren’t clear, it’s not because of scheduling. Speculate away, but perhaps a busy awards and movie season—he’s in four films that open in the next four months, “The Fifth Estate,” “12 Years A Slave,” “August: Osage County” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug“—means that he might just want to take a breather to start the new year. Either way, the film—a gothic horror piece about a young woman and author Edith Cushing who discovers her husband isn’t who she thought he was—still has a pretty great batch of actors attached in Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska. As for who will step in for Cumberbatch remains to be seen, but Del Toro has time and he’s already shown he can attract top talent regardless.
Until “Crimson Peak” rolls in early 2014, Del Toro will be busy on his FX series “The Strain.”