This winter, Guillermo del Toro has a new cinematic fairy tale to share, and an unlikely love story to tell in The Shape of Water. The film follows the romantic affair of a mute cleaning lady Eliza Esposito (Sally Hawkins) and a strange amphibious creature being held captive at a government installation. It’s not a one-way relationship, but there are a lot of obstacles in their path. The newly released red band trailer for The Shape of Water has a lot of spoilers, as Eliza takes it upon herself to save the creature…if she can.
Of course, the creature (or “the Asset”) is played by Doug Jones. Who else was it going to be in a del Toro film? It really is quite amazing to see the bond develop between Eliza and the Asset. It’s almost as if del Toro got to do his take on the Creature From the Black Lagoon remake after all!
The new trailer also offers a better introduction for Octavia Spencer’s Zelda, one of the few friends that Eliza has in this story. But more tellingly, Michael Shannon’s Colonel Strickland seems to be set up as the villain of the piece. Even the Cold War time period really comes across in the new footage, and we’re excited to see the journey of Eliza and the Asset play out on screen. Earlier this week, our colleague, Noah Gittell called The Shape of Water “del Toro’s most soulful film yet.” That only makes us more eager to see the movie when it hits theaters on December 8, as does the beautiful new poster below.
What do you think about the new red band trailer for The Shape of Water? Release your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Want more from Guillermo del Toro?
- Check out David Harbour as the new Hellboy
- Have a taste of Guillermo del Toro’s spooky tequila
- Take a look at the trailer and first images for Pacific Rim 2
