Guillermo Del Toro To Direct ‘Pacific Rim’ [UPDATED]
UPDATED:Much happened rather quickly this evening.AICNreports thatPacific Rimwill beGuillermo del Toro’s next film, and the director responds to an email from theCriterion Castasking about a green light forAt the Mountains of Madnesswith “The opposite- Dead.” SoAt the Mountains of Madnessseems to be gone. Let’s hope that some of the info below — that GDT might return toMountainsafter makingPacific Rim— turns out to be true. (Do I really believe that will happen? No.) Original article follows.
Today is all about the ill-timed follow-up stories. We had a Martin Scorsese twofer earlier, and now here’s yoursecondGuillermo del Toroupdate in as many hours.
Last year Legendary PicturesboughttheTravis BeachamscriptPacific Rim, which is a tentpole project with monsters and big destruction. There was a moment where the script wasrumoredto be the basis for Legendary’s newGodzillamovie, but that was quicklyset right:Pacific Rimis something entirely different. Now there is a report that, due to the lengthy timeline in getting Universal to greenlight the H.P. Lovecraft adaptationAt the Mountains of Madness, there is a chance that Guillermo del Toro will directPacific Rimas his next film.
Deadlinesays that the timeline could look like this: GDT would makePacific Rimnow, and then return toAt the Mountains of Madness.
The problem with the Lovecraft adaptation is the same problem that has persisted for some time: it is a very expensive film that is currently expected to net an R. Universal reportedly loves the designs that the team has presented, but is worried about losing money on the film. (And Universal has gambled and lost on several other films in the past few years.)
Guillermo del Toro has reportedly been part of the development process forPacific Rim, and is ready to jump to the PG-13 film that features “big monsters and the creation of a new world.” There was word last year that the film had been offered to him, and while that was denied, it looks like there was reason for the rumor. Here’s how Pacific Rim was described last year:
Set in a future in which malevolent creatures threaten the earth, the planet must band together and use highly advanced technology to eradicate the growing menace.
This could be a good move; GDT hasn’t had a movie in the public eye sinceHellboy IIin 2008.The Hobbitate up a lot of his time — there is no small irony to the fact thatThe Hobbit, from which he walked away last year, is now gearing up to shoot as Guillermo del Toro is trying to get a film moving. Pacific Rim could make him an even more viable name than he already is, and help build the Christopher Nolan-sized base Universal wants to see before writing a check forAt the Mountains of Madness. (Which could be relaunched as a PG-13 project, if all can agree on the changes.)
