Why Guillermo del Toro's Long-Awaited Lovecraft Adaptation Still Hasn't Happened, Despite Being Announced In 2010

screenrant.com /guillermo-del-toro-lovecraft-movie-at-the-mountains-of-madness-explainer/

(...) The concepts for a film adaptation of At The Mountains of Madness have been in Guillermo del Toro's head for decades, with the acclaimed visual artist admitting to having an obsession with the story as far back as his childhood. A script was first penned by del Toro alongside frequent collaborator Matthew Robbins, who also aided the director with the writing of Pinnochio and Crimson Peak, as early as 2003. The screenplay was pitched by the pair to Warner Brothers multiple times, but the entertainment repeatedly turned it down, caught up on del Toro's insistence on an R-rating. (...)

9 comments

The film was meant to be played in theaters in 3-D, with Tom Cruise tentatively attached for some much-needed star power.
I'm completely fine with it not happening if Tom Cruise had a role. Also the script had very little time allocated for the exploration of the city.
I would love an adaptation with a better script and Del Toro's visual style.
- 3d, Tom Cruise Star Power, yeah I'm glad this got delayed. Hopefully they realize how shitty that would have been.
  
  There's an Innaritu film being made that's a vehicle for his oscar bid, likely going to bomb with him in it because he is just insufferable on screen.
Why does this headline sounds like you've been waiting this whole time this project has been dead for years. It's not happening, and no one is trying to make it happen any more. Del Toro always has like 3-5 projects in various stages of pre-to production, most never making it to the end, as other progress...
I'm not sure this kind of stuff was ever meant to be filmed. And maybe it better isn't.
- Of course not. It was written before "moving pictures" were a widespread thing.
  And even more of course not, because Lovecraft usually writes in a way of: "if you see the thing, it's so incomprehensible that you go mad knowing the thing is an actual reality". There's never a way to make a Lovecraftian film without it being disappointing in a way. Especially if you show the thing.
  
  Exactly. Take "The Colour of of Space" - it talks about "colours never before seen by man" (quote from memory, there are several variants of that in the text). Now f-ing film a colour never before seen by man ;-)

9 comments