Guillermo Del Toro Says Mexican Wrestler/Vampire Politicians Movie Isn't Next, Names Fave Stanley Kubrick Films, More

Crimson PeakOver the weekend, there was a bit of stir created when word circulated that Guillermo del Toro‘s next film, which he has said will be something smaller and not in the blockbuster realm, might be something called "Silva," with a story involving Mexican wrestlers and vampire politicians. But it turns out while that awesome-sounding movie is on his plate, it isn’t his next project.

Hitting Twitter, del Toro clarified that the movie is actually called "Silver" not "Silva," and that the movie he shoots next year is something different, and will be in English. So put "Silver" on del Toro’s big stack of movies he’ll get to later, but man, does it ever sound tantalizing already.

Speaking of movies that have been sitting on del Toro’s desk, years ago he was slated to direct a stop-motion animated "Pinocchio," in 3D, with Nick Cave consulting on the music. And apparently, the project is still on the table. "I’m also pursuing the possibility of doing a stop-animation Pinocchio set during the rise of Fascism in Italy," he told Little White Lies. "I am actively pursuing these things. But you know, the fact is, people ask, ‘Why do you choose to do this over this?’ You don’t choose. A career mostly is the clash between what you want to do and what you can finance."

To recap how bonkers the movie is going to be, and how far removed from the Disney version you know so well, del Toro has previously described his take thusly: "…the Blue Fairy is really a dead girl’s spirit. Pinocchio has strange moments of lucid dreaming bordering on hallucinations, with black rabbits. The sperm whale that swallows Pinocchio was actually a giant dogfish, which allows for more classical scale and design. The many mishaps Pinocchio goes through include several near-death close calls, a lot more harrowing moments. The key with this is not making any of it feel gratuitous, because the story is integrated with moments of comedy and beauty. He’s one of the great characters, whose purity and innocence allows him to survive in this bleak landscape of robbers and thugs, emerging from the darkness with his soul intact.”

Holy heck, someone please let that happen. But for now, the director is unveiling his gothic horror "Crimson Peak" this weekend, and he reveals the unlikely influence of Stanley Kubrick, and in particular, his period epic, "Barry Lyndon." 

"We also did a lot of shots by candlelight, but with the advantage of having to force the optical, or not having to force depth of field like they did with ‘Barry Lyndon.’ For example, one scene that creates a beautiful atmosphere is in the ballroom, the waltz scene. We did it mostly with the existing lights, we worked with a light fixture that was very large and mounted above the eye-line of the camera," del Toro shared with LWL. "And that was it. It was almost like the conditions of creating a painting."

"Curiously, it’s one of my favorite Kubrick films. I like the Kubrick that nobody likes. I love ‘Eyes Wide Shut‘ and ‘Barry Lyndon,’ " del Toro added.

As for what to expect from "Crimson Peak," fans of del Toro’s "The Devil’s Backbone" and "Pan’s Labyrinth" will be thrilled that his latest picture follows in a similar vein. "It is very much of a piece with them. I wanted to try and do an adult movie in English, because after doing ‘Mimic,’ I decided I would do my pulp, youngish, light movies in English and do adult stuff in Spanish. Because I had such a bad experience doing that movie," the director said. "I honest to God was hoping to make a great, giant insect movie and it was very disappointing to find out that the studio had other plans. Unfortunately for me with Legendary and Universal, they gave me creative freedom and they just said, ‘look we got to stay on a budget because we don’t want you to make it incredibly expensive.’ So we were very smart and very frugal with how we made the movie look bigger than it really is."

"Crimson Peak" opens on Friday.