The Strain

Guillermo del Toro is among the most creative and visionary artists of his generation. His distinctive style is showcased through his work as a filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and author. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, del Toro first gained worldwide recognition for the 1993 Mexican-American co-production Cronos, a supernatural horror film, which he directed from his own screenplay after beginning his career working as a special effects makeup artist. The film premiered at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Mercedes-Benz Award and over 20 other international awards. Of those, eight were Ariel Awards from the Mexican Academy of Film, including Best Director, Best Screenplay and the Golden Ariel.del Toro then directed and co-wrote the supernatural thriller The Devil’s Backbone, which along with Cronos has appeared repeatedly in Top Ten lists of the best genre films of all time.In 2004, del Toro directed and co-wrote the action-adventure sci-fi thriller Hellboy starring Ron Perlman. Four years later, he wrote and directed the hit sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army.del Toro earned international acclaim as Director, Writer and Producer of the 2006 fantasy drama Pan’s Labyrinth. He was honored with an Oscar® nomination for his original screenplay for the film, which received five additional nominations including Best Foreign Language Film, and won Academy Awards® for Art Direction, Cinematography and Makeup. In all, the film garnered more than 40 international awards and appeared on more than 35 critics’ lists of the year’s best films.In 2013, del Toro wrote and directed the epic sci-fi action-adventure Pacific Rim starring Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba. He also created the “couch gag” for the 24th annual “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween episode of The Simpsons, which garnered over 20 million views on YouTube.His most recent feature is the gothic romance Crimson Peak, which he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins for Legendary and Universal Pictures. The film, released in October of 2015 stars Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam. del Toro is currently completing The Shape Of Water, which he co-wrote and directed and which Fox Searchlight will release domestically.del Toro also executive produced the worldwide horror hit Mama, starring Jessica Chastain. Among his other film credits, he produced the supernatural thriller The Orphanage, which became the highest-grossing local language film in Spain’s history. Additionally, he partnered with fellow Mexican directors Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu to produce Rudo y Cursi, directed by Carlos Cuarón, and Biutiful, which was written and directed by Iñárritu. del Toro is also Co-Screenwriter with Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson of the three Hobbit films for New Line Cinema.On the animation front, del Toro, through his overall deal with DreamWorks Animation, has been an executive producer on the films Kung Fu Panda 2, Kung Fu Panda 3, Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians. He created, executive-produced and co-directed the new Netflix/DreamWorks Animation hit series Trollhunters. del Toro produced The Book of Life for Fox Animation and Reel FX. He is also developing and will co-direct an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, as a 3-D, stop-motion feature, produced with The Jim Henson Company.del Toro has also turned his attention to publishing. With novelist Chuck Hogan, he co-authored the vampire horror novel The Strain, which was published in June 2009 by William Morrow. They have since collaborated on The Fall and The Night Eternal, which make up The Strain Trilogy. All three books debuted as The New York Times top-ten bestsellers. Additionally, in 2015, Hyperion Press published Trollhunters, a fantasy-adventure novel co-written by del Toro and Daniel Kraus, which is the basis for the DreamWorks Animation television series. del Toro and Hogan are also Co-Creators and Executive Producers of FX’s hit series based on The Strain. And Dark Horse Comics has published a graphic novel series adapted from the trilogy. In 2013, Harper Design published Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities, a lavishly illustrated book containing notes, drawings, and untold creatures from del Toro’s private journals and filmmaking diaries, with never-before-seen characters, art, and ideas of things to come. In addition, del Toro is currently developing a television series based on Naoki Urasawa’s acclaimed manga series Monster with producers David Zabel, Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Gary Ungar.

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Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan are Co-Creators and Executive Producers of FX’s hit series based on The Strain. And Dark Horse Comics has published a graphic novel series adapted from the trilogy.

Guillermo del Toro Headshot wearing glasses with a black and white filter

Guillermo Del Toro

Guillermo del Toro | Co-Creator and Executive Producer | The Strain | FX

About

Cast and Crew

Corey Stoll stars as “Dr. Ephraim ‘Eph’ Goodweather.” As former head of the Center for Disease Control – Canary Team, Eph led the investigation of the mysterious viral epidemic taking over New York City.After his own son triggered the nuke that brought about the apocalypse, Eph can't help but blame himself. Haunted by guilt and shame, Eph leaves both New York City and the fight behind for Philadelphia where he trades his medical skills for supplies and sustenance. But it's there that he meets Alex, a fiery resistance fighter who challenges his passive position.When his exploits with Alex lead to a terrible discovery about the Master's end game, Eph is drawn back to New York, back to the fight, and back to his son.

Corey Stoll Headshot wearing a black shirt

David Bradley stars as “Abraham Setrakian,” a Holocaust survivor with an iron will and a hair-trigger temper who has been hunting the Master for decades.Devastated by the Master's escape, Setrakian is bolstered by his belief that the "Face of God" is a nuclear weapon – his answer to the Occido Lumen's prediction. But time is of the essence, and after the pawnbroker is caught in his off-the-grid hideout, he's faced with a critical choice: hold onto the prophecy or abandon all hope.

David Bradley Headshot wearing a hat and black jacket

Jonathan Hyde stars as “Eldritch Palmer / The Master.” After narrowly escaping a watery grave, the Master succeeded in spreading his strain and conquering the globe. Now, with Eldritch Palmer as his host and loyal Eichhorst by his side, the Master is focused on ensuring his infinite reign – a task that involves grooming Eph's son, Zack, for a mysterious purpose.But while the Master's dominance seems absolute, one major threat still looms: Setrakian, Quinlan, Eph and the others are still out there somewhere, and the Master will stop at nothing to bring them to their knees.

Jonathan Hyde Headshot with veins in his head and scars on his face

Kevin Durand stars as “Vasiliy Fet,” a muscular and charismatic Ukrainian exterminator.Fet finds himself trudging through the wilderness of North Dakota, tasked with finding a nuclear bomb to kill the Master. With Quinlan serving as both his half-human teammate and thorn in his side, Fet enlists the help of a tough but beautiful pioneer woman, Charlotte, who can show this city boy a thing or two about survival.

Kevin Durand Headshot wearing a beanie and black coat

Ruta Gedmintas stars as “Dutch Velders.” Dutch sees first-hand the horrors of the new world when she's swept up in a Partnership raid and imprisoned. Her preferable blood type offers her a chance to survive in captivity, but only if she's willing to participate in the Partnership's sinister reproductive program.

Ruta Gedmintas Headshot wearing dark eye makeup and long wavy hair

Miguel Gomez stars as “Augustin ‘Gus’ Elizalde,” a former gangbanger and ex-con.Having lost everyone close to him, Gus abandons the crusade against the Master and partners with an unlikely ally, Alonso Creem. Together they run an underground market, dealing contraband goods to New York's off-the-grid populace. Gus recruits a family member for a big score and as tensions rise, above-ground and below, he is once again faced with losing everything.

Miguel Gomez Headshot wearing a vest and turning his head to the side 

Richard Sammel stars as “Thomas Eichhorst,” the Master’s chief lieutenant.Now one-handed, Eichhorst is more cunning and dangerous than ever as he diligently carries out the final phases of the Master's plan for humanity. Additionally, his sights remain set on hunting down his old nemesis, Abraham Setrakian.

Richard Sammel Headshot wearing a black jacket with white collar and staring above 

Max Charles stars as “Zack Goodweather.”After triggering the nuke that began a global chain reaction, Zack is comfortable but lonely under the Master's watchful eye. He finds a desperately-needed friend in Abby, an orphan hired to be his servant. But as Zack takes a liking to her, it becomes apparent that even his budding feelings are under the Master's control.As the Master continues to cultivate the boy's loyalty, Zack is put to the ultimate test when he finally comes face-to-face with his father.

Max Charles Headshot wearing a black shirt and long black hair

Rupert Penry-Jones stars as “Quinlan,” who is neither human nor strigoi.With an unwavering focus on killing the Master, Quinlan is driven by his sense of destiny as he and Fet scour the countryside for the ultimate weapon: a nuke. Through explorations of Quinlan's past, his complex human half will come more into focus. And in his journey with Fet, he will be forced to learn the hardest lesson of all: perhaps he cannot do this alone.

Rupert Penry-Jones Headshot with scars on his face and a thick line striped down his head

Carlton Cuse Headshot wearing glasses with a black and white filter

Chuck Hogan Headshot with black and white filter

J. Miles Dale Headshot wearing glasses with a black and white filter

Gary Ungar Headshot wearing a collard shirt with a black and white filter

Bradley Thompson Headshot smiling and wearing sunglasses with a black and white filter

David Weddle Headshot wearing sunglasses and smiling with a black and white filter

Regina Corrado Headshot looking to the side with a black and white filter