By far, the best Guillermo del Toro films have been the ones set in a historical time and place. As much as we love the Hellboy movies and Pacific Rim, it’s his three historical horror films — The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Crimson Peak — that we hold dearest in our dark little hearts. This is why we’re extra excited to hear a) del Toro is making another film with supernatural elements set in the past; 2) that it looks as though he wants to make it very quickly; and III) he’s apparently going to be casting some heavy hitters for it. All good things, we say.

According to a report originally from Variety, Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer is among the people del Toro is hoping to cast in the new movie, which is being produced by Fox Searchlight and is hoping to shoot this summer and will also star Sally Hawkins. Nerdist can confirm that this report is accurate.

The film has no title yet (that we know of) but is being described as “a mysterious and magical journey set against the backdrop of Cold War-era America circa 1963 with an otherworldly love story at the center of it.” That’s got GDT all over it! Love story? Magic and mystery? Otherworldly? We’re so in. The really exciting thing is its setting of America circa 1963. Now, that year is a very, very important one for a number of reasons, but since we really doubt this movie’s going to be about how America was changed by the premiere of Doctor Who, we’re guessing it has something to do with the Kennedy assassination.

Del Toro is a director who always seems to get the best actors possible for his movies, and adding Spencer to any film is a great idea as she always adds relatability and gravitas to her performances. We definitely look forward to seeing what she can do with this material, especially after having seen her kick mucho backside in 2014’s Snowpiercer.

What do you think of this new movie and casting Octavia Spencer? Moar Guillermo del Toro? Let us know in the comments below!

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HT: Variety
Image: The Weinstein Company

Kyle Anderson is the Weekend Editor and a film and TV critic for Nerdist.com. Follow him on Twitter!