Cabinet Of Curiosities: 6 Things We Know About The Upcoming Guillermo Del Toro Netflix Series

As a fan of horror for several years, I have always looked forward to when streaming services decide to focus on something a little more scary. Whether that means coming out with some awesome horror movies or producing excellent scary TV shows, like The Haunting of Hill House, I am always down for it. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that Guillermo del Toro, a true master of horror, was teaming up with Netflix to bring a brand new anthology series called Cabinet of Curiosities to the platform. 

To say I was stoked would be an understatement. I grew up adoring a lot of del Toro’s work, from dark fantasy movies like Pan’s Labyrinth, to some of his latest work, The Shape of Water. But now, hearing that he’s stepping into the TV scene again after many, many years is something anyone could get behind.

But, what exactly is Cabinet of Curiosities? When is the show coming out? Who’s going to be in it? Today we have the answers to those questions and more with these six quick things. 

Cabinet Of Curiosities Doesn’t Have A Set Release Date

Unfortunately, we do not know exactly when Cabinet of Curiosities, otherwise known as Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, will release on the platform. A rumor that’s been going around is that it might be popping up on the 2022 Netflix premiere schedule, but nothing’s been confirmed yet, so better to take that with a grain of salt for now. 

Cabinet Of Curiosities Will Be An Anthology Series, Described As A “Macabre Mashup Of Genre-Defining Horror

But, what we do know about Cabinet of Curiosities is what it’s going to be about. When the show was announced by Netflix on Twitter, initially it was described as an eight-part series that would “challenge our notions” of what true horror is like. 

A tweet followed up after that from @NetflixGeeked on Twitter said that the show would be a mash-up of the “macabre” and “genre-defining horror.” To be honest, that already sounds like an amazing premise for a horror series, and hearing that it’s not just going to be one kind of horror makes me even more excited.

Del Toro Is Writing Two Episodes, And The Rest Will Be Based On Existing Short Stories

Also from the @NetflixGeeked tweet, we got our first look at what exactly the stories are going to be. Six of the episodes are going to be based on already existing stories from authors, such as H.P. Lovecraft, Henry Kuttner, and more. 

However, the other two episodes, which will be interspersed with the rest of the show, were written by the man himself, Guillermo del Toro, and will be completely original horror-based stories. What exactly these stories are going to be about or based on is unknown as of now, but already it sounds like they have a nice line-up for what’s going to happen.

Each Episode Will Be Directed By A New Person And Star A New Cast

Something else that came out with the news is that each episode is not only going to be directed by someone new, but also have a completely different cast. While other anthology series often have one cast that changes characters and stories with each new season (shows like American Horror Story), each episode of Cabinet of Curiosities will have a new set of actors and actresses, as well as directors, for each installment. 

A couple of the directors who were confirmed from the @NetflixGeeked tweet were Jennifer Kent (known for movies The Babadook and The Nightingale), David Prior (known for The Empty Man), Guillermo Navarro (known for shows like Luke Cage and Preacher), and so many other great additions. 

Another piece of news that came from these tweets is who the writers are who have adapted these famous stories. David S. Goyer (who wrote a lot of the story of The Dark Knight trilogy) is set to write an episode, Regina Corrado (who worked on the HBO series, Deadwood) will pen a story with del Toro, along with many other talented writers. 

Already, Cabinet of Curiosities is looking to become one of the most diverse set of stories out there with all these different writers. Guillermo del Toro sure did his homework when picking out who he wants for this series. 

Much Of The Cast For Cabinet Of Curiosities Has Already Been Set

It was also announced with those tweets that a good part of the cast had already signed on, so we already know several of the actors and actresses who are a part of Cabinet of Curiosities. The list goes on and on, but there are some heavy hitters on here that I’m sure fans of horror and fantasy have seen many times before. 

For example, Andrew Lincoln (of The Walking Dead fame for his much celebrated character, Rick Grimes) has signed on for an episode, which will be written by Guillermo del Toro. Demetrius Grosse from Fear the Walking Dead has also signed on for an episode, which will be directed by Guillermo Navarro. 

Ben Barnes, from the Netflix original series, Shadow and Bone, is also set to star in an episode, directed by Keith Thomas. Besides some of these big names, there are many others who have signed on, all appearing in different episodes of Cabinet of Curiosities. 

Another name that wasn’t originally announced with the starting cast, but came out later on, is Rupert Grint, according to Deadline. Grint, best known for his starring role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series, has had his share of horror television before as a part of the main cast of Servant, one of the best Apple TV+ series (created by M. Night Shamalyan), so I can’t wait to see what he does in this. 

Production Was Reportedly Underway As Of September 2021

A report on the show from Deadline also confirmed that as of September 2021, production was underway for the series, taking place in Toronto, Canada. While there haven’t been any updates since, if all goes well, maybe we might get to see the series this year. A nice new horror show around October would be great.

With so much talent attached to this series, I’m eagerly awaiting more updates on Cabinet of Curiosities. It certainly peaked my curiosity – what about yours?