Guillermo Del Toro - Man or Machine?

[_____V_____]

September 4, 2008


Guillermo del Toro has announced a filmmaking slate that will keep him busy for the best part of a decade -- and monsters play a big part in those plans.

The Mexican helmer has made a long-term commitment to Universal that will see him direct screen versions of horror classics Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when he has finished work on his two Hobbit pics.

He has also agreed to shoot a film version of Kurt Vonnegut's WWII novel Slaughterhouse-Five and an adaptation of Dan Simmons' Drood, a gothic horror about the possibility that author Charles Dickens led a dark double life.

According to Variety, his take on Frankenstein will pose the question: "Why did my creator throw me here, unprotected, unguided, unaided and lost?" His Jekyll and Hyde, on the other hand, will explore the addictive highs the repressed Jekyll experiences as his murderous alter ego.

And del Toro hopes that his version of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five will be more faithful to the book than George Roy Hills's 1972 screen version, explaining, "There are ways that Vonnegut plays with and juxtaposes time that was perhaps too edgy to be tackled on film at that time."

To re-enforce their faith in his creative abilities, Universal are lending support to the director's long-gestating adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness, while they will also oversee Crimson Peak (a gothic romance) and Hater (an apocalyptic story of social breakdown) both of which del Toro will produce.

Where that leaves Hellboy III remains to be seen, with del Toro claiming it could turn in to something of a geriatric shoot. "I think they'll decide when the last Euro hits the piggbank," he explained. "We laid the groundwork to have a magnificent third act. I'd like to return to an action franchise with 60-year-old actor Ron Perlman because he'll be scratching at that age when I get to it."

Sounds like the nicest man in movies has a lot on his slate.

[Disease]

Another version of Slaughterhouse five hey, I thought the first movie was brilliant considering the story line they had to work with, I will be curious to see any version of this classic book.

[neverending]

I thought Slughterhouse 5 was fine. I don't need another version.

All the rest of the projects sound great, though.

[Disease]

Why not, I see it as a story that can be interpreted in different ways so a new version should be interesting.

[Kemal]

Mountains of Madness?

Finally, a good director who can do a decent Lovecraft story.

[Elvis_Christ]

Hope he does better than Hellboy II with his other projects *yawns*

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by Disease

Why not, I see it as a story that can be interpreted in different ways so a new version should be interesting.

For sure Vonnegut's work is definitely like that. Hopefully we'll get another Mother Night out of his adaption.