Guillermo del Toro is widely considered one of the best horror and dark fantasy directors of the modern era. When it comes to creating and depicting monsters, del Toro is simply unmatched. He has brought his skills to the Hellboy films, The Shape of Water and Pan's Labarinth, each to incredible critical acclaim. He most recently brought Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to life in the most source accurate film since Hollywood first tackled the subject back in 1910. However, the famed director has his sights set on a project that will likely never come to be.
Del Toro has long admitted to being a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, specifically the novella At the Mountains of Madness. Back in 2010, it was announced that the incredible director had finally been given permission to create his dream film. Years have passed and there have been almost no updates about what could become Guillermo del Toro's Magnum Opus. It seems like Hollywood might never allow the film to get made, despite del Toro's consistent requests, leaving the movie in a state of limbo for what could be forever.
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Guillermo del Toro Is Desperate To Remake One Of H.P. Lovecraft's Greatest Stories
Few Projects Based on H.P. Lovecraft's Works Have Found Commercial Success
In the modern day, Guillermo del Toro is considered one of the most talented directors and creature creators of the current generation. His mind truly sees the world differently, and he expresses that difference through his creatively designed creatures. He is the main figurehead behind the incredibly famous Pan's Labyrinth and has continued to make similar films throughout his career. Del Toro's main style is most akin to Dark Fantasy, which is already very similar to H.P. Lovecraft.
H.P. Lovecraft is a terrible person, but created one of the most unforgettable genres of horror of all time. Lovecraftian Horror is still widely praised today as one of the most interesting and foreboding styles in the relatively modern world. Lovecraft's monsters, like Cthulhu and Dagon, are still regularly depicted and reworked today. Given Lovecraft's obsession with creating creatures, it's no surprise that del Torro would find inspiration from his work.
Del Toro has famously wanted to adapt Lovecraft's subject matter since beginning as a director. Given the similarity in their styles, there's no chance the film wouldn't be at least slightly successful, but Guillermo del Toro has his eyes on a specific novella he wants to adapt. If del Toro had his way, he would've already created a film version of At the Mountains of Madness.
Guilldermo del Toro Wants To Bring At the Mountains of Madness to the Silver Screen
At the Mountains of Madness Is Often Cited as Lovecraft's Greatest Work
At the Mountains of Madness is H.P.Lovecraft's most popular novella, which many consider his greatest work. At the Mountains of Madness features several key figures in the Lovecraftian mythos as well as providing a great leaping off point for several different aspects of Lovecraft's shockingly expansive lore. The novella depicts a group of scientists who make their way to the artic and discover an ancient race of hyper-intelligent creatures which existed before humankind. This is only the first of the scientist's revelations, and they are soon subjected to horrors from far beyond this earth.
This tale extremely fascinated del Toro, believing he could be the one to finally bring At The Mountains of Madness to the silver screen. Several scripts were initially drafted, and the director has long had several ideas for both the old ones, their carnivorous penguin friends, as well as the utterly terrifying shoggoth. Ultimately, if anyone could bring a beast to life so deranged its very visage is maddening, it's Guillermo del Toro.
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The project was originally greenlit back in 2010, but there have been absolutely no details released about the film since that time. There have been whispers of collaborations or support, but it seems the studio has been fighting del Toro every step of the way. It's entirely possible no studio wants to take the blame if such an ambitious project were to flop, as the project has been bounced around like a pinball from one production company to the next. While there is definitely a chance del Toro's At The Mountains of Madness could fail, the movie's success could provide one of the best contemplative horror films of the modern day.
Horror films of today have become hyper focused on the jumpscare and similar techniques for alarming an audience. These approaches are time-tested, and they definitely work, but they are becoming extremely overused. Too much of today's horror is about the scare itself and not the anticipation, which is where true terror lies. Unfortunately, Hollywood isn't ready to give del Toro's version of horror a shot, just yet.
Del Toro Has Gotten Several Other Industry Professionals On Board With the Idea
Both Tom Cruise and James Cameron Have Backed the Project at Different Points
Throughout the project's lifetime, del Toro has gained some pretty significant backing. At The Mountains of Madness was originally set to be produced by Warner Bros. With a rather large budget behind it. Yet, as del Toro began working on the film, the studio quickly realized that it was far from a typical horror film and cut their involvement from the project. Since then, del Toro has had several famous supporters for the project. Sadly, none of these celebrities are capable of creating a movie by themselves, regardless of their net worth.
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The famous actor Tom Cruise has reportedly shown a lot of passion for the project, ultimately wanting to star in the film, but the actor's star quality is partially what makes him a poor candidate for the project. In At the Mountains of Madness, each character is only a medium for the reader to enjoy the cosmic horror taking place throughout the story. The characters are one of the least important parts of the novella. Casting someone as famous as Tom Cruise might heavily detract from the main purpose of the film.
At one point, James Cameron even offered to produce the film, but it is unknown what has come to pass concerning their deal. Given the fact that Cameron is now busy producing a plethora of Avatar sequels, it's entirely possible that he is too committed to his own projects to continue working with del Toro. Nevertheless, only time will tell if Cameron does end up producing what could become one of the most remarkable horror films of all time.
Unfortunately, Hollywood Will Never Let The Film See the Light of Day
The Theorized Film Simply Doesn't Align With Hollywood's Typical Format
As things stand, it is extremely unlikely that Guillermo del Toro's version of At the Mountains of Madness will ever actually get made. Del Toro even released a segment of test footage to generate fan hype for the project, but even that wasn't enough. Hollywood has seemingly denied the director at every step of the way, making it virtually impossible for him to create the film he wants. On top of budgeting setbacks, Hollywood seems reluctant to figurehead a story where there isn't a traditional story structure.
There is no hero in At the Mountains of Madness and there are no villains, there are simply bystanders to a cosmic event somewhat beyond human comprehension. The fact that the narrative lacks traditional story elements is one of its biggest roadblocks. Hollywood feels that it has discovered the most marketable ways to make movies. Studios are typically severely hesitant to deviate from these structures, which is why it is such a major setback for del Toro's version of H.P. Lovecraft's magnum opus.
Despite the significant setbacks del Toro has faced along the way, he is still extremely passionate about the project. He believes that with the right audience backing the film, At The Mountains of Madness could become a reality. Unfortunately, it seems like every time the movie actually garners a fanbase of excited viewers, it takes another several years to hear anything about the project. Unless there is a significant development in the project soon, it will likely remain in limbo forever.
Ultimately, At the Mountains of Madness is the one movie that del Toro wants to direct, but probably never will. The fact that he has consistently hit so many setbacks does not signify good luck for the film, or its production process. However, now that Guillermo del Toro has gotten somewhat desperate, maybe he can find a way to garner the support he needs to finally bring the featured film into fruition.
