Haunted Determination...

Finally, Guillermo del Toro revealed some scary news about his Haunted Mansion reboot...

Scary because it's sad.  In an interview with /Film (who graciously posted an article about/linking my WDAS  slate scoop before the Mouse had them take it down) he gives an update on what is happening.  He and Matthew Robbins draft of the screenplay is waiting for a new writer to take it on.  A very big writer, but he doesn't want to mention the name. But he is open to other writers, if they find the right one.

He says that Disney is excited to make the film, but he lets slip the news that he will only be producing it.  While having him write the film and produce it means that the tone will more likely be a successful film, the announcement that he was not directing it is a major disappointment.  So if he won't direct it, who would be a great alternative?  How about Alfonso Cuaròn?   That would calm my fears about Del Toro not helping the film.  Of course, that's just fanboy wishing.

Or maybe that's just me giving the director a very strong hint...

Oversized For Underlings...

A new featurette is out for "Pacific Rim" with a lot of cool footage...

Guillermo del Toro gives a lot of narration explaining about the Jaegers's heads and how the pilots operate them.  This film seems like an eleven year old's dream come to life before their eyes.  What young male wouldn't want to imagine himself in a giant robot kicking the butt of a giant monster?

The director will now move on to "Crimson Peak", but after that what?  I wonder which project that Del Toro is connected to he'll decide to direct next?  "Justice League Dark" (I prefer the "Dark Universe" title), "Hellboy 3", his opus, "At The Mountains of Madness" or maybe, just maybe that "Haunted Mansion" reboot?

Alan Horn, please pick up the phone...

The Drift...

In addition to a cowboy and an alien, this summer also has giant robots...

Any film that Guillermo del Toro makes is something of note (which is why I want to see his reboot of "The Haunted Mansion").  He's a geek-made-good, and any project the director works on is going to peak the interest of pop-culture aficionados the world over.  If you've ever watched the behind the scene videos then you know he's great at explaining the creation/reasoning behind the universes he builds.

Here is a little featurette that focuses on how the humans of "Pacific Rim" control the giant robots they use to battle the monsters that have been unleashed from the depths of the oceans.  It's an in-depth deconstruction of how the functions work; and why they work.  That's one of the things that's great about del Toro's films.  There's a layered approach to his stories.  He doesn't just say, wouldn't this be cool?

He wants to have a reason for it being cool...

Going Big...

The latest trailer for Guillermo del Toro's latest just came out...

Boy, does this look like a young boy's dream or what?  "Pacific Rim" is shaping up to be what kids have fantasized about playing with action figures for decades.  And from the buzz it sounds like Legendary Entertainment's Suits, particularly, head geek Thomas Tull, have made a friend for life.

Perhaps Guillermo is hoping that if he makes Warner/Legendary a mountain of cash, they'll give him a mountain?  As in buy the rights to his mountain over at Universal.  His opus, his dream is to make "At The Mountains Of Madness" since forever.  And it would have been done over at Universal with James Cameron producing and Tom Cruise starring, but the Uni Suits didn't want a R rated $100 million dollar picture.

If this film is a success then perhaps Universal will let him make that picture.  Or maybe Legendary will buy the rights to the project and let him have it as a gift for what he's done for them?  And while we're at it, maybe Alan Horn and the Disney Suits will finally bite the bullet and green light his "Haunted Mansion" reboot?  Now that would be a project I and many other fans have wanted to see.

It could all be riding on a bunch of giant robots and monsters...

After Godzilla, Before Godzilla...

Giant robot, run for your lives... 

It's been one great week for trailers...


I can't wait to see these on the big screen.  Guillermo del Toro's new film, "Pacific Rim" has finally had its first trailer released.  Giant robots versus giant monsters.  Is there really any need to say more?  It looks fantastic, and you can see del Toro's signature vision stamped across each and every frame of this trailer.  If the film lives up to the trailer then this will be one fun event next year.

Now, if Alan Horn can just get him to sign on to direct the "Haunted Mansion" remake...

Haunted Conversations...

It's scary thinking of what could happen...




A few weeks ago, Guillermo del Toro mentioned that he was to have a meeting with Disney Suits in a few weeks...

Those meetings have probably happened as of last week, unless they were postponed. Now the question is, what happened? Did the Suits ask del Toro to direct the adaptation he's doing of "Haunted Mansion" or not? And if so, did he say yes, or tell them he's too busy to decide what his next live action film is? Did they dangle a carrot? A production deal? A chance to make another dream project of his that the Mouse is willing to finance? Did they decide to move forward with the film with him as just producer/co-writer? I don't know the answer. But I do know that I want to know the answer.

And I want the answer to be yes, he will direct it next, but who really knows...

Too Much Toro...

Never too much of a good thing...








And here we are with more of Frosty's Interview with Guillermo del Toro from Collider...

The remaining parts of the interview with del Toro are posted here for your enjoyment:

Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 8
Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 9
Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 10

And if you want to see the other parts of his discussion, here is the talk about the Haunted Mansion, and then his other interviews are here and here.

If there ever was a case for cloning, it's this man...

Haunted Possibilities...

999 ghosts, 999 possibilities...




Frosty over at Collider has been releasing parts of an hour long interview he did with Guillermo del Toro....

It's a great look into how the man works, the process he's taking with "Pacific Rim," and the progression on many of his projects. But until now, he hasn't mentioned the remake of "Haunted Mansion" that he was working on.

Until now.

Del Toro is asked about the status of the project and tells Collider:

I delivered my last draft five weeks ago. I have a meeting with them in three weeks. I know they like the screenplay. I need to meet with them in three weeks. That’s what I know. I know their reaction to the draft was good. We have a bunch of conceptualist art, but you never know, to predict anything else is hard for me to know. I should have called them and said, “Hey.” Usually, it’s very hard for me to predict what a thing like that means.

A great interview. He goes on to mention a little more about the adaptation of the attraction, as well as share his feelings on the Harry Potter novels/films. If you haven't seen/read the others, we posted them here and here.

Hopefully, Alan Horn and his band of Suits can convince him to make Haunted Mansion his next project...

More Guillermo...

Yes, but what about HM...









Frosty over at Collider keeps posting more of his hour long interview with Guillermo del Toro...

With all the things that GdT is attached to, he'll never have to worry about finding work. I just hope he lives to do half of what he's planning, because of the voluminous projects he is associated with.

Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 4
Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 5
Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 6

Take a look/listen...

Giant Robots, Huge Monsters & Big Directors...

But what about the Haunted Mansion film...




The guys over at Collider have a great collection of interviews with Guillermo del Toro...

With all the buzz that was generated at Comic-Con 2012 (and it's worthy of that buzz), "Pacific Rim" is looking to be the big surprise film of 2013. When the trailer comes out in November/December you'll understand why.

Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 1
Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 2
Guillermo del Toro Pacific Rim Interview Part 3

That giant battle over Hong Kong should be worth the ticket price alone...

MCU2TV...

Excelsiorvision...






Nikki Finke's website has a nice little rumor...

I don't link to Deadline anymore (if you want it, you can google it), but they had a small blurb about what Marvel Television's plans are in the future. While a series like the Guillermo del Toro produced "Hulk" series is not set in the MCU, the Superhero Studio and the ABC Network are working on a series that will be set in the movie universe: read that it'll be canon.

No word yet on what it'll be about other than it won't be about the characters in the film, but will be in the universe of the film. So it could be about everyday people dealing with a world with super powered heroes, or a special unit of S.H.I.E.L.D. perhaps? There has been talk of a rumored animated series, but it was nowhere near being green lit. Then again, this sounds barely out of that realm as well.

All we know it that they're looking for a writer for the show. May I suggest J. Michael Straczynski? He's a great writer that's worked in comics/tv/movies and knows how to travel between those worlds. He's written entire seasons of shows, so why not let him help them build this bridge from the MCU films to the MCU tv?

Heck, maybe even get Joss Whedon since he's talked so much about his love of tv lately...

Being There: Pacific Rim...

Giant $%*#&W@ robots...





To see Guillermo del Toro work a crowd at Comic-Con is pure fun...

The man is an Uber-Geek and knows what the fans like because it's what he likes. Well, if you want to see the "Pacific Rim" panel then you now have the opportunity via YouTube. This is pretty much the entire panel, minus the footage. For that and more, you'll just have to wait to go see "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" later this year.

Comic-Con: Pacific Rim Panel.

Be careful, as Guillermo's language is NSFW, but that's him...

There And Back Again, Back Again...

A game of riddles, it is...







Warner's panel was the one to be at this day, and this was a big reason why...

I just finished reading "The Hobbit" for the second time a couple weeks ago. So it's going to be interesting seeing this movie version of the book through Peter Jackson's eyes and not my own. After seeing this panel, I have to say that I can't wait for the Holidays. This looks like a gift left under my tree that I've waited a long, long time to open.

Peter Jackson is a man that understands this fanbase. He started doing those production blogs back in the 90's for "Lord of the Rings" way before other film makers/studios. Jackson understood he needed to get people, particularly fans, interested in this project. And people today do these kind of thing without thinking about it. So when Jackson walked out, he was holding his phone and recording the fan reaction for a new update blog on the film for people that didn't get to come to Comic-Com.

Jackson brought out the rest of the panel which included his co-writer and producer Phillipa Boyens, and then the rest of the cast joined them. He showed a large amount of footage from the film(s), including some scenes that take place in the second film. The bulk of scenes consisted of Bilbo and the Dwarfs arguing what they were going to do to get the treasure that Smaug guarded. Several other scenes/clips were shown, but the best of these was the meeting between Bilbo and Gollum. Sadly, the footage was all shown in 24fps, so we'll have to wait until the holidays to get a look at 48fps in all its glory.

There were the typical questions about things, but one asked about him possibly adapting "The Silmarillion" and Jackson honestly answering that the rights were owned by the Tolkein Estate (which I knew) and that they weren't too happy with his interpretation of the books (which I didn't know).

All in all, the film looks like a great continuation of the Middle Earth Universe, but it's not got the more dark, and somber tone of the LOTR trilogy. I can't wait to see this, but I also wonder in the back of my mind how different it is from the films that Guillermo del Toro had planned.

But really, we can never go there and back again...

UPDATE:

It appears that Peter Jackson is trying to get Warner Bros. to fund the filming of additional material which could wind up making the second film a two-parter. That would turn this in to a trilogy of films spread out over 2012, 2013 and 2014. If that doesn't happen, then it leaves a lot of footage that could be available for the Extended Editions of The Hobbit. Warner Suits will have to decide if they want to continue this series another year. I'm sure it's a tempting decision they have to make with all those dollar signs floating around in the air.

Pacific Toho...

Guillermo! Guillerzilla! Godzilla! G...












Not really Toho...

Not even in the slightest. This is something new, and unto itself. Holy, wow. I mean, you know I love Guillermo del Toro. I think his work is amazing and I still want him to direct that "Haunted Mansion" film, but with this he's definitely moved forward into a pack that few directors occupy. And in this environment, at this time, well let's just say that Comic-Con is a world unto itself. And Guillermo is a god here. The crowd hailed him as a conquering hero when he walked onstage to present footage/effects from "Pacific Rim."

He could have had roses thrown at his feet as he showed clips from the giant robot (Jaeger) versus giant monster (Kaiju) film. There was footage shown of a battle with the creatures, but you never really got to see it in full scale or entirety. But the scope of the destruction and battles was clearly evident. And it had del Toro's style all over it. His talk was filled with the typical humor he uses, and it feels like a friend telling you about his favorite project, not some distant film maker that happens to be trying to impress you with his latest masterpiece.

I love how when he describes the way he wants the robots to move that he mentions how they should move and why. He explains things like he's thought them out, not just trying to throw something up on the screen. And with the monsters, how he wants you to know them from the inside out, like he's been examining their physiology as a scientist. It's the same way I've heard him describe that "Frankenstein" project that he's been working on for years.

My only fear, not for the film really, but more for Legendary is that this film will make "Godzilla," which was also announced today, an afterthought. It's going to have to go in a completely opposite direction if it's not going to be perceived as underwhelming for audiences after this. Guillermo mentioned that this will be the only footage released for sometime, so attendees got to see it first until late this year/early next. And I can't wait to see a full on trailer for this when more fx work is done. I can't wait to see the battles that this mighty hero has planned for us.

Because they are going to be EPIC...

Graveyard Of Ideas...

Hopefully, some other ideas are dug up as well...







Now this is a perfect project for the Mouse to adapt...

Walt Disney Pictures has optioned the film rights to Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" for director Henry Selick. Released in 2008, the Newbery Award-winning novel is very much like Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book." While that story follows a human raised in the wild by a group of animals, Gaiman's book follows a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his family were murdered. It's a wonderfully charming, albeit slightly dark tale.

There is no indication that it will be live-action, and since it's Selick, it's likely going to be stop-motion, but this kind of story would be the kind of property that could be slotted into the live-action division of Walt Disney Pictures. The live-action division hasn't been too robust, and even the hits that it has had were modest (with the Pirates franchise being the one exception). The project will be the next one the director does after finishing up his current film which will also be distributed by Disney (and consulted on by the Pixar Brain Trust).

Selick's personality and talent are perfect for this project. Only Guillermo del Toro could handle this story with the care needed to bring it to the screen.

Now, if only Disney would get the rights to "The Thief of Always" for a live-action film...

Del Toronations...

We need at least two more...


If you haven't seen it, MTV has a video interview with the busiest man in entertainment...

Guillermo del Toro spoke with the network about many of his upcoming projects, including: "The Haunted Mansion," his "Hulk" television series, his giant robot vs. giant monster film, "Pacific Rim," among many other projects, including his new foray into video games, "inSANE." But didn't include anything on his new book series, "The Strain" or "Trollhunters" over at DreamWorks Animation. I guess if they discussed everything the man is connected to then it would have turned into a mini-series.

An interesting interview as he's quite candid and open as a film maker and creator. If there is ever to be a case for cloning, del Toro is the man I'd recommend as the first candidate. Just image all the projects that we'd have coming out. My only complaint is that the interview about Mansion doesn't include the most obvious question: "Will he direct it?" I suspect he won't, but will co-write and produce it. But I'd like a definitive answers, none-the-less.

Now if he can just get "At the Mountains of Madness" made then he'll have complete domination of the world...

The Marvel Age...

Film making: The Mighty Marvel Way...



It's interesting to look at the body of work Marvel Studios has built up in less than half a decade...


Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America (2011)


Next year is the culmination of the comic book company's and many geek fans dream with the release of "The Avengers." It also marks a turn for Marvel Studios, in that it will be finally be working as an independent entity within the Mouse, a lot like Pixar. They won't be relying on an outside partner (Paramount) to distribute their films for a small percentage of the take. The Walt Disney Studios will take the reins of distributing and marketing them, but the Marvel executives will be the ones making the decisions; a semi-form of autonomy, with exceptions only when budgets start to go beyond a certain point.

But think of what they've accomplished. Marvel has essentially in less than a decade, become a live-action Lamp. They're the live-action Pixar. Now, this is not to say I don't have problems with "Iron Man 2," but I didn't hate it. It had it's moments and much of it was compelling. But it was very uneven to me, and much too much of just a calling card for Avengers. This is something that "Captain America" was accused of, but totally off base. That film works as a story until itself. If anything it only adds/accentuates the idea of seeing the spin off. I could easily live without any Avengers film so long as I got a couple more Cap films of the same quality. So far, no film Marvel has made has turned out to have been a dude, a bomb or truly bad. They've taken great care to make sure the adaptations that reach the screen are authentic and assessable to the public at large. And they clearly have a plan that reaches out for the next few years.


The Avengers (2012)

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Thor 2 (2013)

Possible film projects:

Doctor Strange (2013)

Ant Man (2013/14)

The Runaways (2013/14)

Captain America 2 (2014)

Iron Fist (2014)

Luke Cage (2014)

S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014)


While I'm a DC Guy, I begrudgingly have to acknowledge that Marvel is kicking their butts right now. With the exception of video games where DC is better represented, and home video where they have a slight lead with the quality of their DVD films. Marvel is clearly the company making the better decisions. Other than Batman and Superman, DC just hasn't been able to make any traction in adaptations. While "Green Lantern" may have not been a bomb, it was a huge disappointment. The didn't fully get what the character was about. Let's cross our fingers if a sequel is made that they realize the errors from the first film and rectify it. And any future adaptation had better be handled with care. Perhaps they should try the Marvel Way? Even in comics, DC's latest moves strike me as gimmicky and desperate (rebooting all your titles back to #1? Superman wearing pants? Really???). Warner Suits, please pay attention to what you're doing. You have the potential to make a great deal of money, or possibly alienate anyone you wish to see your films.

Even on television where "Batman the Animated Series" represents the pinnacle of great tv animation, Marvel is now leading the way. "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" is an example of an excellent show that is very well written, and the upcoming "Ultimate Spider-Man" looks promising too with the writing staff that has been hired for the first season. Not to mention that Paul Dini is now involved in the new "Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."and that is a monstrously positive note as well. Now, when they finally get around to that Hulk television show from Guillermo del Toro I'll definitely be interested in seeing how they've handled it. And if they'd only green light that S.H.I.E.L.D. animated series I'd be really, really happy.

One of the ways they've accomplished this difficult feat of becoming a major Hollywood player, is to recreate a variation of the old studio system that was disbanded in the late Sixties. This was a system within the entertainment industry where talent was controlled, educated and trained, and most importantly, marketed by the moguls of Hollywood. Marvel has created a system where they lock up talent for long periods of time with multiple film commitments. This is something that hasn't been done to this level in decades. Most of the contracts for actors run 7 to 9 films. Samuel Jackson is signed for nine pictures total. The same contract was offered to Chris Evans, but he didn't want such a long commitment and was able to negotiate one for just six pictures. That's still a lot of films. Scarlett Johansson also has a similar contract. These deals, many of which are not for great amounts of cash, create a stable group of talent from which to draw from for their stories. One of the main reasons Marvel is able to do this is because of the cache value that superhero films have right now. They can turn a very good actor into a super star who can command and control his/her own destiny outside of Marvel's films. It's a small price to pay for benefits that would come from such a success.

Another reason that is even more important that the talent is the story. And Marvel doesn't have groups of committees that pore over scripts offering suggestions as to how to make it better. They have a small group of executives lead by Kevin Feign that actually knows the properties they're trying to get made. Somewhat like Pixar and the small group of film makers that John Lasseter relies on, this group is the one charged with choosing the characters, hiring the directors and green lighting the film for production. They typical Hollywood high concept assembly line that turns out one after another soulless films has been avoided.

It will be interesting to see what happens after 2013, because that is when most of the brand characters will have run their cycle and a new collection of stories and heroes will have to arrive on the silver screen.

We will then see if they can save the day...

Pacific Plot...

Godzilla! Godzilla! Wait? Generic Godzilla!







As the days progress, we'll hear more and more about Travis Beacham's "Pacific Rim," maybe even sooner than expected...

News In Film has got a heck of a spoiler of what the first act of this film is supposed to be about and boy does it sound wild and big. Mostly big. The site says that if the budget is proper and Guillermo del Toro is given enough free reign then this could be his "Jurassic Park." I'm sure he'd like that, as it would probably make it easier for him to get "At the Mountains of Madness" made. Who knows, maybe if he delivers in spades for Legendary Pictures, they'll buy the script/option from Universal and make it themselves? Time will tell.

Now, about that "Haunted Mansion" reboot...

Hat Tip to /Film.

Guillermo's Rim...

So Legendary Pictures made it official about Guillermo del Toro directing their big, monster film...

Hours after it was revealed that Universal had passed on "At the Mountains of Madness" and Del Toro was likely to be filming "Pacific Rim," this press release was issued:

Legendary Pictures announced today that Guillermo del Toro is directing the company's upcoming feature, Pacific Rim, confirmed as his next film. The film has already entered pre-production and will begin principal photography in September 2011. Pacific Rim will be released during summer 2013 and will be produced by Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni for Legendary Pictures and Guillermo del Toro.

Stated Guillermo del Toro: "We started developing PAC RIM a while ago with the mad passion and enthusiasm of a project unwatched and unchecked by politics or comparisons. We designed and shepherded the movie we want to make. We start shooting in September and we hit the ground running because we are so in sync. My partnership with Legendary represents, both in scale and creative demands, a huge step forward for me."

It's difficult to believe that the last film he directed was in 2008 with "Hellboy 2." The long, gestating "The Hobbit" ate a great deal of time from his already busy schedule, and for the better part of the last year he's been working on ATMOM. And all he has to show for it are a couple of rejection notices. Well, that's not really the case. He has a great script, impressive FX and models as well as a commitment from Tom Cruise to do it a little later, and I have a feeling that it still may see the light of day a few years down the line. But right now he's prepping "Pacific Rim" for a 2013 release. Again, no word yet on his re-imagining of "The Haunted Mansion" film/attraction, but his love for it should carry it though, although not as a director, but just as a producer/co-writer.

We should start to hear casting/story/location details about GDT's Rim by summer, Mansion is another story...

The Man Who Directed Too Much...

Lights, camera, what's next...






Wow, the economy is bad, but some people never run out of job opportunities...

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Guillermo del Toro has been offered the directing gig of "Pacific Rim," the giant monster film written by Travis Beacham. This after having difficulty getting the green light for his adaptation of "At The Mountains of Madness." With James Cameron producing, Guillermo directing and Tom Cruise starring and they can't get the Universal Suits to pull the trigger? Man, this town is seriously risk averse big time. Movies such as "Apocalypse Now" could have never been made today. It's sad that this has happened.

Of course, from what I hear, Pacific Rim is right up the director's alley, and something where he would be in his element. But his heart is in this project and although he has have a dozen other films in preparation, the H.P. Lovecraft novella is the dream that he wants to wake up to. If he does decide to make the film, it'll be with the intent of showing Universal that he can make a big budget commercial film so that they'll let him make Madness.

He wouldn't be the first to do this, remember that Brad Bird took the reigns of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" so as to prove to Warner Suits that he was capable of directing a big, live-action film and therefore be allowed to make "1906" a reality.

If Guillermo del Toro does take Rim, to make ATMOM, then that will likely be the death nail for any chance of him directing the "Haunted Mansion" remake. He already said that he was producing the script with he wrote with Matthew Robbins and that directing would be decided later and time permitting. Well, this would certainly kill the "time permitting" part. He would have to just produce/co-write it and start hunting for another director for the project. All this doesn't even address the many film projects which his name is attached to, or the "Incredible Hulk" series that he's shepherding with an eye in directing the pilot. And then he has an untitled series for cable that he's been developing for a couple years. Not to mention his entry in the video game business with "inSane." And on and on and on. The man is seriously busy and waiting for something to yell: "Action!" on.

We just don't know what will be the first one out the gate..