Guillermo Del Toro is among the most exciting filmmakers of his generation. The Mexican born director is known for his unique and distinctive cinematic style in which he mixes the world of monster movies and comic books with supernatural and sci-fi sensibilities and imaginative visuals. An Oscar recipient thrice over, Del Toro has critically acclaimed films like The Shape Of Water, Pacific Rim, Hellboy, and Pan’s Labryinth in his impressive filmography.
While he has been instrumental in creative some of the most impressive stories in Hollywood, Guillermo Del Toro has also missed out on directing a few projects that he held close to his heart including wanting to helm The Ozymandias episode in Breaking Bad. One of the films that the director wished to do but did not materialize, was the horror film Pet Sematary.
Guillermo Del Toro Was Too Intimidated By Stephen King’s Pet Sematary
One of the best works of prolific horror novel writer Stephen King is Pet Sematary. This book was adapted into a film in 1989 directed by Mary Lambert who also went on to make the sequel following its success. In 2019, directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer did a reboot of the film which also received positive responses.
Interestingly, Mexican born director Guillermo Del Toro was also in line to direct this reboot. The Pacific Rim filmmaker who was a self-confessed fan of Stephen King, spoke to Slash Film about the reasons behind what attracted him to the story and why it did not materialize for him.
“Because it not only has the very best final couple of lines, but it scared me when I was a young man. As a father, I now understand it better than I ever would have, and it scares me. A hundred times more.”
Del Toro went on to add that while it did not look like he would ever adapt the book into a movie, he still kept the faith that one day, the time and opportunity to possibly create his own version of the classic could come knocking on his door.
Guillermo Del Toro Had Harsh Words For Modern Animation
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro has never minced words when it comes to expressing his opinion on or off-screen. The director was brutal in his takedown of modern animated features, which he believed were controlled, not by honest narratives, but by the monetary power of big studios. Del Toro went on to question the storyline and the characterizations in these films that left no room for relatable and realistic portrayals of life. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
“[Why] does everything act as if they’re in a sitcom? I think is emotional p**nography. All the families are happy and sassy and quick, everyone has a one-liner. Well, my dad was boring. I was boring. Everybody in my family was boring. We had no one-liners. We’re all f****d up. That’s what I want to see animated. I would love to see real life in animation. I actually think it’s urgent. think it’s urgent to see real life in animation.”
Del Toro then diverted the topic to his future projects which include one more live-action film that he will direct, Frankenstein, after which his journey towards creating a new wave of animation will commence.
Source: Slash Film
