There are many del Toro fans out there, he virtually has the market cornered on dark fantasy. But there's a long list of projects that have or had his name attached that either didn't come to pass or moved forward with someone else in the director's chair. Here, del Toro responds to the fact that he gets his name attached to a high number of film projects that never bear fruit.
"Yeah, but it's funny: a lot of the attachments that are announced are not real. A lot of them are -- I'm not denying it. But a lot of them happen -- like, I was attached to Dreamworks three years ago and I've worked on four movies."
Those four movies happen to be Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and the forthcoming Rise of the Guardians and Kung Fu Panda 3. Four films that del Toro was or is serving as executive producer, not director. A point the interviewer doesn't miss. Del Toro's response?
"No. As a director, true. But, I gave two years of those four years to "The Hobbit" and one year to "At the Mountains of Madness." And I thought, in both cases, that they were going to be the next movie. You don't control this."
Del Toro also plainly states that it's inaccurate to say that he signs up for these projects and then it's him that changes his mind or realizes that the project can't be done. If he has his way, he doesn't ever want to go this long again without directing a film.
You know, it's funny. The first two days of shoots [for Pacific Rim], I prepared those two days more than ever except maybe my first movie. Because I wanted to not have any hitch. So, the first two days of shoots, I was half a day ahead of schedule. I was not rusty, you know? At the end of the movie, we were four days under schedule. And we were severely under budget -- we were able to allocate that budget into more of the effects. So it was very important for me to have that movie be a fiscal exercise on my craft as much as an artistic endeavor. I wanted to prove to myself that you don't get rusty -- that you can go right back to the bike and ride it."
And on that Heaven Sent project? He remains hopefully optimistic but the fact that he brought up Doctor Strange (one of those projects he was rumored for that never went anywhere) should make you hedge your bets.
"[Heaven Sent] is a probability. But, see, the problem is that a lot of people get a hold of things before they are a reality. Like, for a while, people were talking about the "Dr. Strange" movie. I said, "I'm not involved. At all." And then they were talking about another movie and two or three times I had to say, "I'm not involved." In this case, I hope it happens."
There a bit more in the interview over at The Huffington Post where del Toro goes into details about Rise of the Guardians which opens November 21st. Heaven Sent (if it happens) is rumored for a 2020 release. Also, click
HERE to see a video where del Toro talks about the Doctor Strange project.
RELATED CONTENT:
HULK Television Show To Hopefully Hit ABC Airwaves Next Year, Network Passes On AKA JESSICA JONES
Peter Jackson Says Some Elements Of Guillermo del Toro's Style And DNA Were Retained In THE HOBBIT
Why Universal Studios Passed On The Dark Tower And At The Mountains of Madness