Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesAt Comic-Con last week, Guillermo del Toro announced he will produce, co-write, and possibly direct a new feature film based on the Disneyland attraction The Haunted Mansion. But that is just the latest meal stacked high on top of the filmmaker’s already crowded plate: He’s also working on feature films of (deep inhale) Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Slaughterhouse Five, Drood, and At the Mountains of Madness, as well as the vampire literary trilogy he’s co-writing with Chuck Hogan The Strain. (Deep exhale.)
With all those projects now happily humming along, perhaps it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise that Del Toro dropped out of directing The Hobbit in May. Last week at Comic-Con, Del Toro sat down with me and gamely talked about his reasons for leaving that most high profile of projects, as well as his abiding obsession with the Haunted Mansion, and the status of the rest of his coterie of cinema undertakings — including whether we’ll ever get to see Hellboy III. Check it out after the jump:
Did you catch when Del Toro said he plans to announce soon what his next directing job will be? Given the fact that they're already doing full make-up tests, does anyone else think it's going to be Frankenstein? What would you like to see Del Toro tackle next?
awesome director. whatever he makes, i will back up and go see.
He is great overall, but Hellboy 2 stunk up the joint.
Oh, Guillermo, you’re seriously abandoning “The Hobbit” for… “The Haunted Mansion?” It’s your choice, but… dude! You had the option of adapting either J.R.R. Tolkein or a Disneyworld attraction, and you’re going with the Disneyworld flick?
The thing with The Hobbit was, he already committed 3 years of pre-production for the film. With MGM’s financial struggles, filming isn’t expected to be done anytime soon. If he waits another 3 years, then that means he committed himself to a 6 year project, when he could have done 3-4 projects within that timeframe.
F**k MGM, they’re ruining 2 cash cows, LOTR and James Bond.
I’m so bored with hearing about the Hobbit. I guess it’s popular and people want it and stuff, and I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I’m WAY more excited for a classic haunted house movie than the Hobbit, and I doubt I’m alone.
All I can do is laugh at this comment.
I like Guillermo’s movies but I didn’t really like what he did with Hellboy. The movie is cool but, even though Mike Mignola worked on it, it really was not as cool as the comics because of some changes that could have been avoided and I liked the sequel even less.
That’s a taste thing, the movie was well made, shot well and very entertaining. Many movies don’t compare to a written (even with animation) source material.
I thought HELLBOY was great!
And del Toro was one of the few directors for Tolkien that actually made fans happy, not go WTF?
But I have to agree with Adam… to abandon The Hobbit for The Haunted Mansion…. Guillermo, WTF?
Hellboy III isn’t needed. I love the comic-series and I love del Toro but he turned it into a crappy adaptation.
Are you Kidding? Of ANYTHING G.D.T. could do, Hellboy 3 is by dar the COOLEST on his plate!
For once it’d be cool to have at least 1 awesome superhero trilogy NOT derailed & spat upon by it’s 3rd film finale *coughBRETTRATNERcough*
The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite attractions at WDW, and I can see GDT bringing it to the big screen the way is was meant to be, and replacing that awful original with Eddie Murphy.
I’ll be excited to see what GDT comes up with over the next couple of years.
As for the interviewer – could you seem any less excited to be interviewing GDT?
I hopes he does At The Mountains of Madness. I’m a huge fan of Lovecraft.
Hell boy 3 would be the bomb, hell boy is the best comic to movie adaption.
Can’t wait for what ever he does!
He even made that god awful “Mimic” better than it should have been.
Lovecraft is incredible, but I daresay I will be very interested to see what GDT makes of The Haunted Mansion. That has always been my favorite ride and to see it be so dumbed down to that ridiculous movie broke my heart. After Pirates came out, I had high hopes for Mansion, but when I saw that Eddie Murphy was attached I knew I was in for it. Please, please make it awesome GDT!
He didn’t “abandon” Hobbit. At some point, he realised that it was not going to film anytime soon, thanks to MGM issues, and had to move on. The Hobbit wasn’t a lost puppy he kicked to the kerb in a desperate scramble to get to the Haunted Mansion.
His version of Hellboy sucked hard. I hate it when a director says how much he loves the source material and then proceeds to go and p*** all over it- even with Mignola’s blessing.
I love him but Sugardaddieshookup was better