Over the last few days I've posted different parts of my extended video interview with Guillermo del Toro that I recorded at the Toronto International Film Festival. Del Toro was in Toronto to promote Julia's Eyes - which he produced. While he already talked about his soon to be announced DreamWorks Animation deal, TV projects, and his movie Julia's Eyes, it's time for the rest of the interview and it covers At the Mountains of Madness, Disney's Haunted Mansion, and something not yet announced: he's making video games!! Here's the bullet points:

  • del Toro told me he has a video game deal that's not yet announced. He revealed it's for 3 games to be made over 10 years with the goal of a new game every 3 years!
  • Haunted Mansion: he said it will be PG-13 and it will be a "dark ride". Says they turned in the storyline last week to Disney along with the first few key concept drawings. Matthew Robbins is writing and he'll start in about a month. Hopes to know if Disney will move forward on it in January. At that time he'll figure out if he will direct it or if it will be someone else.
  • At the Mountains of Madness: del Toro gave me a scoop when he revealed Dennis Muren is designing the monsters! Muren told him "you've never seen monsters like this." If you don't who Dennis Muren is…look over his resume and you'll know when it's so cool that he's involved. He went on to say the film isn't greenlit yet, he'll be talking to some Lovecraft scholars to get their input on the script, hopes to make the movie without interference, explained how he got James Cameron involved, and says the film suffers from two big issues: it's a hard core R rated movie and it's a horror tentpole with a big budget.

So much more after the jump:

Rather than have me go on and on about what del Toro said, I suggest watching the interview for yourself. After all, this is del Toro. I've time indexed the interview so you can watch the parts that interest you. Trust me, way more is in the interview than what I bullet pointed on the front page.

Guillermo del Toro

  • How is At the Mountains of Madness going and is he mad at us about the casting story? Reveals he just finished a rewrite and turned it into James Cameron and the other producers last week. They are on week two of designs. Dennis Muren is doing the designing. Del Toro says Muren told him "you've never seen monsters like this."
  • 1:15 - Says if they don't get the right budget and the right support he won't make the movie. Talks about how influential the book was for him when he read it as a kid.
  • 3:15 - Says he is going to give the script to a few Lovecraft scholars to get their input
  • 3:45 - Talks about how in the book the creatures weren't described in great detail and how it leaves a lot of room for interpretation
  • 4:40 - Says he hopes this is his first horror film without interference
  • 5:10 - I ask him if this is definitely his next movie. He says he is not taking on any other project right now. But he reveals the project is not yet green lit
  • 5:50 - How is it having James Cameron in his corner. He talks about their 20 year friendship and how they were going to do a different project after Hobbit fell apart but del Toro gave him the script for Mountains…
  • 7:05 - del Toro explains how Mountains has two big issues: it's a hard core R rated movie and it's a horror tentpole movie with a big budget
  • 7:30 - Talks about doing a Jimmy Stewart at Universal to get the film made
  • 9:00 - Talks about how there are very few filmmakers who can work unobstructed
  • 9:45 - Haunted Mansion talk. Says they turned in the storyline last week along with the first few key concept drawings. Matthew Robbins is writing and he'll start in about a month. Hopes to know if Disney will move forward on it in January. At that time he'll figure out if he will direct it or if it will be someone else.
  • 10:25 - Talks about how he's a Haunted Mansion freak
  • 11:35 - Says Haunted Mansion will be PG-13 and we talk about the tone of the movie. Says it will be a "dark ride" and it will combine the two spirits that built the mansion. Says "one was very playful and one was quite dark and twisted and the result is the unique flavor of the mansion."
  • 12:40 - I mention all the projects he gets attached to and how rumors flow online that he's attached when it's really just a meeting and nothing more
  • 13:10 - Says he has a video game deal that will be for 3 games over 10 years and they'll officially announce it soon. Basically every 3 years a new game.