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http://nerdist.com/guillermo-del-toro-turned-down-the-universal-monsters-universe/
With every new revelation at the projects visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro COULD have made but didn’t, a new poison-tipped arrow gets shot into our movie-loving hearts. From At the Mountains of Madness to Justice League Dark to The Haunted Mansion (and, oh yeah, The Hobbit), we still marvel at what our alternate universe Blu-ray shelves might have looked like if things had gone a different way. But according to a new interview with The New York Times, del Toro admits that, out of all the projects he’s turned down, the one he now regrets is helming the Universal Monsters universe.
Del Toro has always maintained that saying “no” to offers is a way for a filmmaker working within the studios to keep some modicum of power over their own work. In the past, he’d been offered things like Thor, I Am Legend, and Man of Steel, and he even turned down Pacific Rim Uprising, a sequel to his own damn movie, in order to make The Shape of Water (which, honestly, good call). Still, in 2007, he was offered the reins to Universal’s entire classic monsters range and he wishes he’d said yes.
I’ve said no to things that are enormous and I’ve never looked back, you know? 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.
After the utter botchery of Universal’s Dark Universe–started and ended with this summer’s snooze The Mummy (my review)–we were incredibly bummed, since classic Gothic monster movies could have been excellent. But the notion of these movies coming from Mr. Monster himself, and the fact that we could have had them 10 years ago, AND the fact that we didn’t and won’t get them, is almost too much to take.
Del Toro’s cinema has always had an affinity for the monster in movies like Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, and Hellboy, and The Shape of Water is maybe the apex of this ideal. As much as we love del Toro’s original ideas, seeing him tackle Frankenstein or The Creature from the Black Lagoon would have been, to quote an emoji, *Pizza Chef*.
But alack and alas. Here’s to what might have been.
Images: Fox Searchlight/Criterion/Universal
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He is the writer of 200 reviews of weird or obscure genre films in Schlock & Awe. Follow him on Twitter!
Get hyped on the latest news!
- Disney has cast the lead for its live-action Mulan!
- Black Mirror‘s most frightening trailer for season 4 yet!
- The possibility that Justice League gave Ben Affleck his exit from playing Batman!
With every new revelation at the projects visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro COULD have made but didn’t, a new poison-tipped arrow gets shot into our movie-loving hearts. From At the Mountains of Madness to Justice League Dark to The Haunted Mansion (and, oh yeah, The Hobbit), we still marvel at what our alternate universe Blu-ray shelves might have looked like if things had gone a different way. But according to a new interview with The New York Times, del Toro admits that, out of all the projects he’s turned down, the one he now regrets is helming the Universal Monsters universe.
Del Toro has always maintained that saying “no” to offers is a way for a filmmaker working within the studios to keep some modicum of power over their own work. In the past, he’d been offered things like Thor, I Am Legend, and Man of Steel, and he even turned down Pacific Rim Uprising, a sequel to his own damn movie, in order to make The Shape of Water (which, honestly, good call). Still, in 2007, he was offered the reins to Universal’s entire classic monsters range and he wishes he’d said yes.
I’ve said no to things that are enormous and I’ve never looked back, you know? 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.
After the utter botchery of Universal’s Dark Universe–started and ended with this summer’s snooze The Mummy (my review)–we were incredibly bummed, since classic Gothic monster movies could have been excellent. But the notion of these movies coming from Mr. Monster himself, and the fact that we could have had them 10 years ago, AND the fact that we didn’t and won’t get them, is almost too much to take.
Del Toro’s cinema has always had an affinity for the monster in movies like Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, and Hellboy, and The Shape of Water is maybe the apex of this ideal. As much as we love del Toro’s original ideas, seeing him tackle Frankenstein or The Creature from the Black Lagoon would have been, to quote an emoji, *Pizza Chef*.
But alack and alas. Here’s to what might have been.
Images: Fox Searchlight/Criterion/Universal
Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist. He is the writer of 200 reviews of weird or obscure genre films in Schlock & Awe. Follow him on Twitter!
Get hyped on the latest news!
- Disney has cast the lead for its live-action Mulan!
- Black Mirror‘s most frightening trailer for season 4 yet!
- The possibility that Justice League gave Ben Affleck his exit from playing Batman!
Writer: James Tynion IV / Artist: Riley Rossmo / DC Comics
This. Is. Greatness. Batman Who Laughs is the story I’ve been waiting for from DC. This shit was a concerto, a real team effort, and everybody involved gets a shoutout for this one. Welcome to SPOILER CITY, POPULATION: ANYONE READING PAST THIS LINE
Batman Who Laughs gets it right. The concept is brilliant: what if Batman becomes The Joker? The writing is sharp. A tip of the fitted cap to James Tynion IV for taking this very edgy idea and giving it words. The work of turning The Dark Knight into The Clown Prince of Crime takes a monumental effort, this book delivers on all fronts. The aesthetic is dark, like, an oil spill in a public pool dark. The delivery is on point and razor-edged.
We literally get to watch The Joker’s grandest scheme play out in front of us. Batman Who Laughs jumps off with The Joker in the act of traumatizing all of Gotham. Not the usual trite or cliché musing, but truly damaging the city’s psyche. Batman is incapacitated, helplessly watching as Joker kills the parents of only children families. With a gun. At point-blank range. While having them stand in line to be shot!
This is one hell of an issue
Straight savagery! This is ‘the joke that goes too far’. The one that pushes Batman to take Joker’s life, and in a beautiful twist infects Batman with extra potent Joker toxin. It all hits the fan after that, and Bruce just racks up all the bodies. All of them. Gotham denizens, Justice Leaguers, errbody getting this work. Batman Who Laughs turns the known mythos on its head and spins it.
There is a synchronized effort by the staff to create a blended Batman/Joker presentation. Lead artist Riley Rossmo blesses us with an awesome BTAS-inspired Joker and more stylized mouths than you can shake a stick at. The cover art is a gaggle of evil Robins on leashes, held by Batman! If Bruce had a record deal with Ruff Ryders, this would be his XXL cover. Props to Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson for that nightmare fodder.
Batman Who Laughs serves up a salient story supported by great visuals! Ivan Plascencia’s colors jump off the page, and the panels are so cleverly placed that Rossmo deserves an award off the bat. The use of dialogue to move this plot forward hinged heavily on the lettering and Tom Napolitano handled that masterfully.
9 pieces of Black Kryptonite out of 10
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Cyber Monday is here, and retailers of all sizes are delivering steep sales online. So if you haven’t snagged a laptop, tablet, console, or 4K TV, now’s a good time to save before […]
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