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Guillermo del Toro has cemented himself as one of the most distinctive filmmakers of the 21st century, thanks to his ability to blend fantasy, horror, and heart-wrenching storytelling into uniquely memorable cinematic experiences. From the hauntingly beautiful world of Pan's Labyrinth, to the gothic romance in Shape of Water, to the intricate animation of Pinocchio, del Toro's stories weave together the beauty and innate darkness of humanity.
Guillermo del Toro's horror movies have a way of making even the most frightening creatures feel sympathetic, by centering on themes like love, loss, and identity. His unmistakable visual style and fascination with both real and imagined monsters, his filmography is unlike anything else in Hollywood.
Luckily for fans, del Toro isn't slowing down anytime soon. The acclaimed filmmaker already has several exciting projects in the works, spanning between different genres, all equipped to bring his dreamy universe to the big screen. Whether they're revisiting old stories and giving them a new life, or exploring entirely original tales entirely, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about what he's planning next.
The Boy In The Iron Box
Romuald Meigneux/Starface Photo/Cover Images
One of del Toro's most intriguing upcoming projects is The Boy In The Iron Box, based on the serialized novella that he co-wrote with Chuck Hogan. The film brings together an intriguing premise, an ensemble cast and an unsettling atmosphere that del Toro knows so well.
The story follows a team of mercenaries who become stranded after their plane crash-lands on a remote, snow-covered mountain. Desperate to escape the freezing weather and surrounding wolves, the group discovers a maze-like stone fortress to use as shelter. They soon find out that this structure is anything but safe when they encounter a threat that turns their fight for survival into something much darker. The story continues to unfold as the mercenaries find themselves trapped in a supernatural nightmare.
The Boy In The Iron Box is written and directed by David Prior. It features an ensemble cast starring Rupert Friend, Kevin Durand, Jaeden Martell, Chris Petrovski, Aksel Hennie, Arnas Fedaracivius, Eugene Prokofiev, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannessoon, and Julian Kostov. It was filmed in Toronto and wrapped back in January of this year. There's currently no set release date yet.
Although del Toro isn't directing this particular project, his involvement in developing the original story makes it an exciting addition to his upcoming slate of projects. Del Toro's supernatural horror, combined with Prior's experience with atmospheric horror, will surely deliver something genuinely unsettling.
The Buried Giant
Another exciting upcoming project from del Toro is a film adaptation of The Buried Giant. Based on the acclaimed fantasy novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, it follows an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, as they travel through a mysterious post-Arthurian Britain.
When the land becomes covered by a strange mist, people start to lose their memories and can't remember where they came from. As Axl and Beatrice set out to find their son, they uncover the secrets surrounding their own past and the world they're living in. Over the course of the story, their journey becomes an exploration of love, grief, memory, and forgiveness.
Much like del Toro's Pinocchio and Shape of Water, The Buried Giant uses extraordinary circumstances to examine very natural human emotions. One of the most exciting tid-bits about this show is how del Toro developed this film using stop-motion animation. Following the success of Pinocchio, his return to the medium is particularly exciting, especially since his approach to animation lets him create incredibly detailed worlds while giving characters a sense of physicality and emotion that is difficult to replicate.
When sharing his excitement for the project, he toldDeadline, "It is going to be an epic stop-motion that is not going to be for kids. It’s truly exploring the capacity to act, of a stop-motion project, and fuse a world the way you would do it if it was a live-action.” His comment suggests that audiences can expect something much more mature and ambitious than a traditional animated fantasy feature.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark 2
Horror fans can get excited as del Toro returns into the Scary Stories universe. The 2019 film brought Alvin Schwartz's beloved scary stories to the big screen, introducing a new generation of viewers to the most unsettling creatures and urban legends.
The original movie follows a group of teenagers who discover a mysterious book belonging to Sarah Bellows, a young woman whose tragic history is connected to the town of Mill Valley.
Then, the book begins telling terrifying stories of its own, with the characters finding themselves at the center of the most terrifying supernatural events. Each story introduces another creepy creature turning these teenagers' lives into a fight for survival.
Although the sequel's development and production details have remained limited, del Toro's return to this universe is extremely exciting. His love for monsters and creepy creatures only strengthens the original source material. The first movie successfully blended nostalgia and genuinely scary horror, so the next installment will build on that foundation while giving viewers an entirely new cast of nightmares.
Fury
Credit: mpi099/MediaPunch/INSTARimages
The final project to keep an eye out for is Fury. This project is entirely written and directed by del Toro and will serve as his first cinematic reunion with Oscar Isaac since Frankenstein.
When asked about what to expect from the film, he said, "Essentially, it’s going back to [the] sort of thriller aspects of Nightmare Alley — very cruel, very violent. Like My Dinner with Andre but [with] killing people after each course.”
This description alone makes Fury sound like a fascinating departure from some of his more fantastical projects. Instead of centering around supernatural creatures or elaborate fantasy worlds, this story seems like it'll explore something much closer to home: the innate cruelty human beings are capable of inflicting on each other.
He continued to explain just why he was drawn to the project, telling Deadline, "Because I’m very interested in the violence we do to each other, and we do it with our minds, we do it with our souls and we do it physically. And I think it’s new questions [I’m having]; I’m 60 now, so I’ve gone from asking where I’m going and [being a] father and son to [experiencing] regret. I’m in the regret decade, so expect a lot of regret.”
With Fury, he seems more interested in the relationship between humanity and monstrosity, suggesting that oftentimes the scariest things aren't always supernatural.
From stop-motion fantasy to unsettling horror and violent psychological thrillers, Guillermo del Toro continues to explore stories that challenge viewers while showcasing his distinct creative vision.
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Romuald Meigneux/Starface Photo/Cover Images
Credit: mpi099/MediaPunch/INSTARimages
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