Guillermo Del Toro Says He Regrets Not Taking The Reigns Of Universal's DARK UNIVERSE Back In 2007

Guillermo Del Toro Says He Regrets Not Taking The Reigns Of Universal's DARK UNIVERSE Back In 2007

Back in 2007, Universal approached The Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro about taking the reigns of their planned series of Dark Universe movies. Now, Del Toro says he regrets turning them down...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 29, 2017 02:11 PM EST
Filed Under: Monsters
Universal's Dark Universe got off to a shoddy start with The Mummy, and there's now a chance it may even be dead in the water. What could the studio have done to ensure a more successful relaunch?

Well, Universal has been trying to get the rebooted series of classic monster movies off the ground for quite some time, and it turns out they had the perfect director in mind to shepard the franchise over 10 years ago.

During an interview with The New York Times, Guillermo del Toro revealed that he was approached to take the reigns of the Dark Universe back in 2007, and actually regrets passing on the offer:


The only time I repent I didn’t do something was in 2007, when Universal in an incredibly gentle and beautiful manner said do you want to take over the Monster Universe? And they gave me the reins of several properties, and I didn’t do it. That I repent. So this is a confessional moment, I repent. That’s the only thing.

There's probably a great many fans that would share this sentiment.

Is there still a chance the director could come aboard the troubled franchise? As usual, he has quite a lot on his plate, so it seems unlikely at this point. However, you might get some idea how a Del Toro Creature From the Black Lagoon movie would have looked if you check out The Shape of Water on December 1.
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superbigguy32
superbigguy32 - 11/29/2017, 2:30 PM
There’s probably still a chance he could do it
MUTO123
MUTO123 - 11/29/2017, 2:33 PM
If only...

Still, really looking forward to Shape of Water.
MutantEquality
MutantEquality - 11/29/2017, 3:34 PM
@MUTO123 - Am I the only one that like this movie? I didn't see it in theaters but I caught it on an international flight and I really liked it. A Mummy Tom Cruise movie. Hell, I even liked Russell Crowe and the actress really grew on me. And who doesn't like Nick from New Girl? It's a great popcorn movie. So sue me.
MUTO123
MUTO123 - 11/29/2017, 3:40 PM
@MutantEquality - You're not. Audreysky loved it, and she's right down below if you wanna bond with her over it.

And it's not even the worst of the year for me so far (you need to actively try to be as abysmal as Transformers 5), but I just thought it was generic, boring, and killed any excitement I might've had for future movies, which is the worst thing a potential franchise-starter could possibly do. But Boutella's really good, Cruise has a few funny moments here and there, and the plane crash was solid.
rebelnmotion
rebelnmotion - 11/29/2017, 2:44 PM
It's sad because it could have been a very awesome universe. People I guess like Tom Cruise but they don't come out in droves to see him anymore. He doesn't score very well with critics either with exception to Mission impossible latter installments and that new movie he made where he's transporting drugs.

Keep it fresh and keep it new. I like the bureau that was hunting monsters that's how they should have started the movie. Working a case that brings the Monster universe to light.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 11/29/2017, 2:53 PM
Will never forgive him for the lack of Hellboy 3
JoyfulNinja
JoyfulNinja - 11/29/2017, 2:55 PM
@Scarilian - He was campaigning to do it though. The studio just wouldn't green-light it so it's not his fault.
IwasGroot
IwasGroot - 11/29/2017, 3:06 PM
@Scarilian - dude is the least reliable filmmaker in probably the history of ever. 99% of the things he announces his involvement in never ever happen. It's sad because he's pretty good, albeit incredibly overrated.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 11/29/2017, 3:17 PM
@JoyfulNinja -

The studio saw enough interest to green-light and rush a new Hellboy film. I doubt they would'nt have let him do Hellboy 3 solely because of it's ties to the originals. Plus from what i remember he did play around for a long long time basically saying he was busy with other projects.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 11/29/2017, 5:00 PM
@Scarilian - The studio saw enough interest to green-light and rush a new Hellboy film.

Yea. A reboot that will be cheaper. Del toro’s Hellboy 3 budget would have been 120 Million & Hellboy 2 only made 160 in box office

Hellboy 3 not happening isn’t Del Toro’s fault
fanDomX
fanDomX - 11/29/2017, 2:54 PM
AW man, would of been a perfect fit. love this mans work... Still wish WB and Del Toro were doing Justice League Dark or maybe Marvel snatches him up for Moon Knight or something. Hes gonna get a lot of hype for The Shape of Water.
RolandD
RolandD - 11/29/2017, 3:00 PM
I would also suggest he repents for Justice League Dark and having sat on Haunted Mansion for so long.
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