Searchlight Pictures has released a new trailer and character posters for director Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.

Based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Bradley Cooper (Guardians of the Galaxy), Cate Blanchett (Cinderella), Toni Collette (Knives Out), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water), Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), and David Strathairn (Nomadland). It is the second feature film adaptation of Gresham’s novel, following the 1947 version.

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Nightmare Alley stars Cooper as Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, who is described in the film’s plot synopsis as being a particularly manipulative carny. When Stan teams up with psychiatrist Dr. Lillith Ritter (Blanchett), the two could prove an even more dangerous pair to others. The trailer appears to be structured around the device of Stan being issued a lie detector test, which he, of course, is not being entirely truthful in responding to, as the scene is juxtaposed with moments of his various misdeeds.

 The film marks a departure for del Toro, as it contains no “supernatural” elements, as opposed to his previous films, including The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and the Hellboy franchise. Del Toro considered this to be a stand-alone adaptation of Gresham’s novel, as opposed to a remake of the 1947 film version starring Tyrone Power.

Nightmare Alley is set to hit theaters on December 17, 2021.