And Guillermo Del Toro’s Mysterious D is… Disney?
Earlier this week Guillermo Del Toro revealed that he had a secret announcement in store for us, and promised that it would most definitely be something big. He also cryptically revealed that it had something to do with the letter “D”, which caused all kinds of excitement and speculation across the blogosphere. Some people even thought it might mean he would be directing a Dr. Strange movie for Marvel, although I have no idea where that came from. Does he really need another project added to his massive pile of possibilities?
Well, guess what folks… in this case, the riddle was a lot more exciting than its solution, because it was revealed at Disney’s D23 Expo today that Del Toro was actually referring to a new production label called Double Dare You that he will be launching in collaboration with the Mouse House. Their goal is to create “animated films full of chills and thrills for audiences of all ages”, and the first project will be called Trollhunters, based an original story idea by Del Toro, who will serve as producer. Del Toro had this to say:
“As a director, I love to take audiences into fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling, unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition. To partner up with The Walt Disney Studios, with the support of Dick Cook and John Lasseter, is to belong to a storytelling partnership that I admire deeply. It is a true honor. I look forward to coming up with fresh and original stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the storyboards.”
Blah blah blah… big news, right? Well, maybe not as big as Dr. Strange. All sarcasm aside, I guess this could be kind of cool, but it just seems like everyone is desperate for a piece of Del Toro lately. You have to wonder, is he in danger of watering down his name and reputation?
Comments (6)
Huh? What’s up with this new trend for filmmakers to have to get involved in a gazillion projects all at once? I have noticed this where it seems like everybody is putting so many projects on their plate that they can’t possibly do them all. It almost seems like they are afraid that if they are not perceived to be “in demand” that they won’t get the projects coming to them?
Posted by Maopheus on September 11th, 2009Maopheus – I think this is more a problem with the media climate of today rather than directors / actors etc watering themselves down.
These days directors don’t just talk about whatever movie thats just coming out but they get asked questions about what they are doing 4 years from now as well. Blogs and sites have created such a demand for news that its just not enough for them to talk about whats happening within the next month.
I bet 10 years ago directors had tons of projects in various states of development, we just didnt know or cared about them until a marketing firm started to promote them.
Posted by Niklas on September 11th, 2009I’ll take the physical challenge.
Posted by Shut-Up Ed on September 11th, 2009Niklas – Yeah, I’m sure you’re right about that, but still it is what it is now and I just wonder if there is created now this climate where every filmmaker needs to get all these different projects and links and connections out there for fear of not looking busy compared to the next guy. Or perhaps also to get a hold on a project to keep it away from the other guy. I’m sure that things were the same 10-20 years ago. But now it seems that filmmakers are linked to multiple projects much like actors are. But we all know that it’s easier for an actor to star in 3-4 movies a year and have something like 5-10 lined up for the next couple years but for a director it’s much harder because they have to be involved throughout the entire production process.
Posted by Maopheus on September 11th, 2009Personally, I’m much more excited about this than I would be about another comic book adaptation. It sounds like Disney might finally start producing highly original animated content outside of Pixar. And Del Toro definitely has a cool visual style that seems like it would work well in an animated world.
Posted by JY on September 11th, 2009This is a good thing! I welcome talented folks like Del Toro being put into positions of creative power. This will benefit the film community and film lovers as a whole. Rock on GD!
Posted by Marc on September 12th, 2009Leave a Reply