The Shape of Water 2: Tides of Silence (2026) — Guillermo del Toro Returns to the Depths of Love and War
Starring Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer, and Richard Jenkins

Nearly a decade after The Shape of Water captivated audiences with its tender, otherworldly romance, Guillermo del Toro returns with The Shape of Water 2: Tides of Silence — a darker, more politically charged continuation set against the tense backdrop of the 1970s Cold War.

The sequel revisits Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and the Amphibian Man (Doug Jones), who now live hidden beneath the Atlantic Ocean, far from the reach of the human world that once sought to exploit them. In whispered sailor folklore, they have become little more than myths — impossible shapes glimpsed in black water, stories told over salt-stained decks.

But peace, as the film quickly establishes, is fragile.

A Love Beneath the Surface

Elisa has fully embraced her transformation, her body adapted to the sea and her spirit shaped by its rhythm. Yet her humanity remains intact — defined not by biology, but by unwavering devotion. Her love for the Amphibian Man remains fierce, intimate, and unbreakable.

Their sanctuary, however, is shattered by a covert military program known as Project Poseidon, an experimental naval initiative testing advanced sonar weapons during the height of Cold War paranoia. The violent pulses scar the ocean floor and ripple through the deep, poisoning the delicate world they inhabit.

The Amphibian Man grows gravely ill, weakened by the toxic consequences of human warfare. With time slipping away, Elisa faces a painful decision: return to the surface she once abandoned forever.

Back above the waves, Elisa seeks out the only people she has ever trusted — Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and Giles (Richard Jenkins), now older and quietly surviving on the margins of a society that feels colder and more rigid than before.

But as rumors spread and government agents begin to suspect that their long-lost “asset” may still be alive, the fragile boundary between myth and reality begins to fracture. The Cold War’s hunger for power threatens to consume not only nations, but love itself.

A Lyrical Collision of Worlds

Del Toro’s sequel is described as a darkly poetic fairy tale — one that expands the original’s themes while deepening its political and emotional resonance. Nature collides with industry. Love clashes with exploitation. Beauty persists in the face of destruction.

At its heart, Tides of Silence is not merely a fantasy romance, but a story about sacrifice — about becoming a bridge between worlds that fear one another.

With its haunting oceanic imagery, Cold War tension, and emotionally intimate performances, The Shape of Water 2 promises a continuation that is both visually breathtaking and thematically urgent.

Water may change its shape. Empires may rise and fall. But as this sequel suggests, the will of a woman in love remains unbreakable.

The Shape of Water 2: Tides of Silence is slated for release in 2026.*