Tom Hiddleston replaces Benedict Cumberbatch in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Crimson Peak’

It was announced on Friday that Tom Hiddleston has been cast in Guillermo del Toro’s new film Crimson Peak. The British actor, best known for his role as Loki in Marvel’s The Avengers replaces Star Trek: Into Darkness villain Benedict Cumberbatch.

Cumberbatch exited the production in late August but did not say why, only stating that it was not because of scheduling conflicts with another film.

Hiddleston seems thrilled about taking the role, especially after receiving the stamp of approval from Cumberbatch, who he starred with in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse.

“The thing is we’re really good friends, and as soon as Guillermo called, I called Benedict and I said this is happening, and he was like, ‘Amazing!’” Hiddleston told BuzzFeed in an interview. “So, I had his blessing.”

Hiddleston went on to gush about the new role.

“As these things do, they sent me the script about two weeks ago and it was a very new draft,” Hiddleston went on in the interview. “I know Mia [Wasikowska], who I’ll be playing with very closely, and I know Jessica Chastain very well. I’ve met Guillermo before. And we are all admirers of each others’ stuff. And everyone said yes! I’m really, really excited about it. I’ll be shooting here in Toronto in February.”

The gothic thriller, which is set to begin filming in January 2014, also co-stars Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), and Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim). Crimson Peak was set to feature Emma Stone, but the Huffington Post reported in early June that Stone had to drop out of the film due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced by Wasikowska.

The film will set the stage for a reunion of sorts for Hiddleston and Wasikowska, who both starred in Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

Hiddleston can be seen in the upcoming film Thor: the Dark World this November, in which he will reprise his role as Loki. He will also appear in next year’s Muppets Most Wanted as the Great Escapo, a role which has been exciting fans especially after this week when PBS posted a video of Hiddleston teaching the Cookie Monster a lesson in ‘delayed gratification’.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images/image.net.