One of cinema's most acclaimed directors will be shooting scenes for his next movie in Buffalo.While the bulk of "Nightmare Alley" will be shot in Toronto, director Guillermo del Toro met with Mayor Byron Brown, Erie County Executive Poloncarz and Buffalo Niagara Film Commissioner Tim Clark on Tuesday to talk about aspects of the Bradley Cooper-starring film that will be shot locally.
Hollywood comes to #Buffalo! I met director Guillermo del Toro at City Hall Monday, he is in town working on a new project. I’m looking forward to seeing what he is working on. Guillermo del Toro won Oscars for Best Director & Best Picture In 2018 for his film The Shape of Water. pic.twitter.com/vOG55EilvO
— Byron W. Brown (@MayorByronBrown) October 29, 2019
Brown said the film industry has become an important source of jobs in recent years.
"There are literally hundreds of people on a pretty regular basis in our community that are working in film. They are good jobs. They are well-paying jobs and that's one of the reasons that the county executive and I are so involved and work so hard in helping to grow that industry in our community," Brown said.
del Toro, 55, won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for 2017's "The Shape of Water." He has gained a devoted following over his more than three-decade career for directing science-fiction and fantasy-based films including "Pan's Labyrinth," "Hellboy" and "Pacific Rim."
The Mexican-born filmmaker took to Twitter while in the Queen City, seeking suggestions for his next visit for food, antique stores, bookstores and independent comic stores. He also tweeted that he ate two local facorites, beef on weck and chicken wings, at the Lexington Avenue restaurant The Place on Monday night.
Leaving Buffalo today! Will be back! Any culinary suggestions, antique stores, bookstore and indie comic shop suggestions-? And yeah, let’s screen some horror or noir when I come back!
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) October 29, 2019
"Nightmare Alley" is a remake of a film from 1947 which starred major Hollywood figures Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell. Along with Bradley Cooper, the new film will star Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette and Rooney Mara.
del Toro was spotted at Chef's Restaurant in June, leading to speculation he might be scouting the area. Another high-profile director, John Krasinski, spent much of this past summer filming "A Quiet Place: Part II," the sequel to his hit 2017 movie, across several locations in Western New York.
