The cast ofBoston Strangler, a new movie from 20th Century Studios based on the horrific crimes of the infamous serial killer who terrorized Boston in the 1960s, has just secured another big name.David Dastmalchianhas just boarded the cast, joining previously announced cast members Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, and Chris Cooper. It’s not clear if Dastmalchian will be playing Albert DeSalvo or someone else, but he’s reportedly been cast in a “pivotal, undisclosed role.”
Boston Strangleris written and directed by Matt Ruskin, based directly on the notorious murders that took place from 1962-64 that left at least 11 women dead; Albert DeSalvo was tried and convicted of the murders, though there are rampant theories that he’s innocent or that others may have been involved. The movie follows Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), a reporter who broke the story of the Boston Strangler, who worked with Jean Cole to challenge “the sexism of the era, pursuing the story at personal risk and uncovering corruption that cast doubt on the identity of the strangler.”
As one of the past century’s most dastardly murderers, theBoston Stranglerhas inspired many movies over the years. In 1968, Tony Curtis played Albert DeSalvo inThe Boston Strangleralongside Henry Fonda.Married… with Childrenstar David Faustino later played DeSalvo in 2008’sThe Boston Strangler: The Untold Story. In 2010, Andie MacDowell and Daniel Sunjata starred in a TV movie calledThe Frontwhich delved into the story and suggested that DeSalvo was not acting alone as the Boston Strangler.
David Dastmalchian has been appearing in some pretty significant roles on the big screen lately. While James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadfell short at the box office, many critics and viewers felt that Dastmalchian stole the show as Polka-Dot Man. After working with Denis Villeneuve onPrisonersandBlade Runner 2049, Dastmalchian also recently appeared inDune, which hasa sequel that’s in the worksfor a 2023 release. The actor’s also set to appear in the upcoming horrorLast Voyage of the Demeter.
“Well, first of all the novel, Frank Herbert’sDune, is one of the great works of lit from the past half a century, and the mastery of his writing style is such that every character and every interaction is looked at while you’re reading the book from a complete 360 degree vantage point,” Dastmalchian said of theDunemovie, per We Got This Covered. “There are no one-dimensional or single-dimensional characters in the world ofDune.”
He added, “So when I heard that Denis Villeneuve was going to be bringing this film to life I said, ‘Aha! That is the perfect person to make this movie’. Because I know Denis personally, and I’ve been able to work with him creatively, I also know his deep, deep passion for the source material, that he’s been wanting to make this movie his whole life, and that he’s been dreaming of it in his imagination, which is one of themost magical imaginationsthat’s probably ever existed in all of humanity.”
Boston Stranglerdoesn’t have a release date at this time and it’s not entirely clear when filming will begin. This news comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
