Director Guillermo del Toro is one of the most accomplished directors working in the industry right now. He is often regarded as a modern master of horror and the occult, with films like Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, The Shape of Water, and Hellboy to his name. He has won three Academy Awards, with his Shape of Water winning him Best Director.
Del Toro has a huge laundry list of unrealized projects that he has hoped to make. The list ranges from superhero films to his typical monster films. While his long-awaited Frankenstein film is in the works, the director recently spoke about his unrealized The List of Seven adaptation after watching the film Godzilla Minus One.
Guillermo del Toro Wanted To Adapt Mark Frost’s The List of Seven
Director Guillermo del Toro has made a mark in the industry with his brand of monster films and high-concept horror films. He has been the critics’ favorite when it comes to making incredible genre films. He has tackled the superhero genre, drama, blockbuster action, and even animation. He recently won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for Pinocchio.
A massive fan of monster films such as Frankenstein and Godzilla, the director took to X recently to appreciate the recently released Japanese kaiju film Godzilla Minus One. In his post, he appreciated the periodic setting of the film and reminisced about his attempt at making a high-concept period piece with an adaptation of Mark Frost’s The List of Seven,
“I remembered my early days, when Mark Frost and I developed LIST OF 7 for Universal. When we presented it, they said, “But- this is Victorian…People don’t care for period pieces.” To which I replied: “What about Raiders of the Lost Ark?” They validated my parking…I was being entirely unironic- We tried for years.”
The film was based on Mark Frost’s mystery novel which featured a murder ploy against author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the ensuing chase between the killers and the victim, who is protected by Jack Sparks, an agent for the Crown.
Though a fictional story, the book features many prominent historical figures. Del Toro mentioned that the upper management axed the project despite him getting support from executives Carr D’Angelo and Barry Josephson. The film still remains unmade.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Unmade Films
Guillermo del Toro made his feature film debut in 1995’s Cronos. The filmmaker has since made many films such as Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, Hellboy, Pacific Rim, and more, many of which have won awards. He has also been part of many classic films as a producer, such as Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Witches, and more.
He also has a huge list of unrealized projects that he pitched or tried to develop over the years. One of his biggest projects that he ended up exiting was Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, which he was board as a director before he left after numerous delays. He also reportedly pitched a Doctor Strange adaptation years before the film became a reality.
He was first approached to be the director of two blockbuster franchise films, namely Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Thor. The former was directed by Del Toro’s friend Alfonso Cuarón, while the latter was directed by Kenneth Branagh. Del Toro was also approached to helm Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Del Toro was approached to direct DC’s Man of Steel and was also reportedly set to develop a Dark Universe of the DC slate. However, he departed from both projects. Guillermo del Toro was developing a Frankenstein film which was delayed many times. The film has been picked up by Netflix and will feature Oscar Isaac, Christoph Waltz, and Andrew Garfield.
