GDT at SDCC: In Summary

Yeesh - I wish had more time to get some blogging in - but better late than never.

I just wanted to quickly summarize a lot of the GDT news that came out of SDCC for the "casual" observer.

1. DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK
It got an R rating for "pervasive scariness", which Guillermo took as a badge of honor. They were going for a PG-13 rating, but got the R just out of scariness alone - no gore, sex or cursing. Apparently the scares did the trick - it was one of the more popular panels at SDCC and the buzz on Twitter was that people jumped in their seats during the clips.

2. FRANKENSTEIN
Doug is still in the driver's seat to play the monster, and they are doing make-up tests very, very soon. GDT has said that Bernie Wrightson's drawings are the inspiration for the creature, and of course, he was brought in for the creature design. Also of note is that GDT said the film's colors will be very CLOSE to black & white - I'm very curious how that will look.

3. PINOCCHIO
GDT's Gus Grimley stop motion PINOCCHIO project is under development and actively being worked on.

4. DOUBLE DARE YOU
The DOUBLE DARE YOU production label that GDT formed with Disney to create scary animated films fell through, apparently because of THE HOBBIT delays.

5. THE HAUNTED MANSION
The biggest news is GDT's involvement with Disney on THE HAUNTED MANSION, a film based on Disney's famous theme park ride. Guillermo will write the script with Matthew Robbins and produce, but not likely to direct. His goal is to make a fun, scary family experience in 3D, much like the ride itself.

Finally - what will Guillermo's next directing project be? We know for sure it is a HORROR film, and it is a "known" commodity.

FRANKENSTEIN still seems like a long shot. The project has to be ready to go by May, and I don't think there is a script yet. Still, GDT has been hesitant to comment on this project...moreso than usual.

DR. STRANGE has been rumored on the internet, but I don't think that would fall in the HORROR category. Sorry, don't think that is happening.

Could we finally see AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS? Maybe - that would be a major coupe, but something tells me that the studios aren't ready to commit to that one.

GDT says this is a project that he started years ago, and it has finally come full circle. Could it be the MEPHISTO'S BRIDGE project (based on the novel SPANKY)?

Don't know for sure - I think this new directing project will be well recognized, whatever it is. Can't wait to find out.

What Next?

Remember when we were asking that same question after HELLBOY 2? All kinds of speculation on what project would be next. The assumption would be some long-gestating project that GDT had in a file drawer somewhere.

Then THE HOBBIT came out of left field.

Well, we are in that situation yet again - what next?

Lots of rumors floating around, so let me tell you what I know.

There are three projects Guillermo is considering doing. What they are, I don't know. But I have some guesses.

First of all, Guillermo, in his words, is not going to do a "rebound" movie. Whatever he does, it will be a project meaningful to him.

Second, he wants to get going in May, so that means the script is ready, or almost ready, to film. That takes out HELLBOY 3, which does not have a script ready.

So what are the potential projects on his plate that we know about? I'll go through them and weigh in on their likelihood:

AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS
Won't happen because GDT still has not lined up the studio support. This is a difficult film to sell to a studio - $70 to $80 million budget, no happy ending, no love story, tent-pole horror. It is just a tough sell. With the lackluster success of SPLICE, it makes it even a harder sell, in my opinion.

FRANKENSTEIN
This could happen. I don't know where the script is at, but I know this is a project that GDT is passionate about and they've already starting testing makeup on Doug Jones (G's monster of choice).

SATURN AND THE END OF DAYS
One of GDT's pet Spanish language projects, like PAN'S LABYRINTH. The script isn't ready yet, so count this out.

DROOD, JEKYLL & HYDE, SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5
I'm not hearing much buzz on these, so I'm not sure there is a script ready here.

LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS
This is Guillermo's fantasy western based on the Count of Monte Cristo. He shelved this script around 2002 because there were multiple Monte Cristo movies. But GDT loves this script and I would consider this a dark horse favorite. GDT mentioned in an interview that his next project will likely be something that they started development on 15 years ago. DARKNESS is right in that timeframe.

MEPHISTO'S BRIDGE
A script GDT wrote based on a book by Christopher Fowler entitled SPANKY, about a man who makes a deal with a demon. This is another dark horse pick, because this is a project that he worked on some time ago.

So, again, here is my top 3 ranked "most likely" picks for "What Next?"

1. An Unknown Project - my gut is that we will hear an announcement at this year's SDCC on something that is a complete surprise. Just like THE HOBBIT.

2. FRANKENSTEIN - this is my second favorite because this is a project G loves and it is a marketable project by studios.

3. LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS - it meets the qualifications for a lot of hints Guillermo has been throwing around. Would love to see this project happen.

Stay tuned folks...

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein

Guillermo recently made this statement on his FRANKENSTEIN project in an MTV Interview:

“It will be a completely different monster. If you want to get an inkling, I would love for Bernie Wrightson to design the creature....If you know Bernie and know how he designs, that’s the creature I want to do.”

Bernie Wrightson is a comic book artist and is well known for his horror illustrations. In 1971, with writer Len Wein, Wrightson co-created SWAMP THING for DC. According to Wikipedia, Wrightson spent seven years drawing approximately 60 detailed pen-and-ink illustrations to accompany an edition of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein.

Guillermo reportedly owns some of the original artwork.

Here are a few select images from Wrighton's FRANKENSTEIN that I like. You can view more here and here.