Guillermo del Toro Teaming up with Pixar Animator Rodrigo Blaas for Creepy Toy Story 'Alma'

Guillermo del Toro has been getting involved with a number of animated films since signing a landmark deal with DreamWorks Animation last month.

DreamWorks is preparing to get creepy with a story about an ominous toy store and a little girl who gets sucked in by a rather familiar-looking doll.


Former Pixar animator Rodrigo Blaas is in negotiations for his directorial debut to bring his hot short film Alma about dolls and child-snatching into a full-length movie for DreamWorks Animation. Del Toro will godfather and executive produce the film.

Originally from Spain, Blaas has worked in animation for more than ten years, in Spain and in the United States. While hard at work on Pixar movies like Up, Wall-e, Ratatouille, Cars, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Ice Age; animator Blaas decided to write and direct his own short called Alma his first short film as a director. This small passion project soon began winning awards like Best Animation at the L.A. Shorts Festival.

Blaas asked some of the best artists in their field to take part in this independent project: French animator Bolhem Bouchiba, character designer Carlos Grangel and Sergio Pablos, ArtDirector Alfonso Blaas, music composer Mastretta and sound designer Tom Myers.

Synopsis
Alma tells the story of children facing the specter of dark forces. Alma, a little girl, skips through the snow covered streets of a small town. Her attention is caught by a strange doll in an antique toy shop window. Fascinated, Alma decides to enter.



According to the LA Times Blaas is also in negotiations to co-direct, Trollhunters, with Del Toro, a movie based on a young-adult novel written by Del Toro.

There are similarities between Alma and Troll Hunters: Both are fairy tales about good children interacting with, and possibly victimized by, creatures that exist just below the surface of the world we know. Both have a Pan's Labyrinth vibe.

Since moving over from Disney, Del Toro has come on as a consultant and executive producer on the Kung Fu Panda sequel as well as Puss in Boots. But Alma and Troll Hunters take Del Toro in a more characteristically dark direction.

For the latest news on prolific multihyphenate Guillermo Del Toro's adventures in filmmaking join the Guillermo del Toro Facebook Group for fans.

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Source: LA Times

Guillermo del Toro Takes the 'The Fall' on the Late, Late Show

Photosource: Gary Deocampo

"Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's THE FALL"

Guillermo del Toro is ready to his his own comedy talkshow, really! Look out Jay leno!

In this interview (below) on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson he talks about his At the Mountains of Madness project with James Cameron, "monsters', and his 'big fat cat' who has been diagnosed as "lazy". At the end he drops the bomb announcing he is working on a TV project with David Eick, the Executive producer and writer for the Battlestar Galactica TV series! WooHoo!

Photosource: Gary Deocampo
"Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's THE FALL"

'THE FALL' BOOK TOUR DATES:

Wednesday, September 29

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
POWELL'S BOOKSTORE
Baghdad Theater 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214

Thursday, September 30

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
AMAZON

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
KIM RICKETTS BOOKS
325 Fifth Ave N Seattle Center Seattle, WA 98109

Saturday, October 02

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BARNES & NOBLE
STE K 30 189 Grove Drive Los Angeles, CA 90036

Friday, October 08

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
CHELTENHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL

* Dates and times are subject to change. Please contact venue to confirm details.

Follow prolific multihyphenate Guillermo Del Toro's romp around the globe by joining the GDT Facebook Group.

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The Hobbit To Leave New Zealand?

Hollywood executives have confirmed they are searching for a new location for The Lord Of The Rings prequel The Hobbit in the wake of a dispute with New Zealand actors' unions.

All three previous The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in the country by director Peter Jackson. He will produce the prequel and has urged union executives to reconsider their planned boycott. Relocation would seriously harm New Zealand's entertainment industry.

The movie execs refuse to sign a deal with local unions amid allegations of "unfair treatment" of performers. Organisations in America, Canada and Britain have all backed the boycott.

Executives at the movie studios behind The Hobbit have now spoken out to condemn criticism of Jackson and his film crew, insisting they are "exploring all alternative options" to make sure filming goes ahead as planned.

The joint statement from New Line, Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) reads, "(We) are concerned by the recent allegations of unfair treatment of actors in New Zealand... we believe that in this case the allegations are baseless and unfair to Peter Jackson and his team in Wellington who have been tireless supporters of the New Zealand motion picture community.

"Motion picture production requires the certainty that a production can reasonably proceed without disruption and it is our general policy to avoid filming in locations where there is potential for workforce uncertainty or other forms of instability. As such, we are exploring all alternative options in order to protect our business interests."

The union dispute is the latest production delay drama to hit The Hobbit in recent months. The film is currently on hold due to ongoing financial problems at MGM. Director Guillermo Del Toro quit in May due to the lengthy delays.

Previous The Hobbit Coverage:

Guillermo del Toro Reveals the Reasons Behind 'The Hobbit' Delays

'The Hobbit' News: WETA's Richard Taylor on 3D Hobbit | Time-Warner Tops MGM Bids

Production on THE HOBBIT Pushed to Mid-Summer 2010

MGM on the Verge of Bankruptcy |'The Hobbit' & James Bond in Jeopardy

'THE HOBBIT' (Part I): MGM Studios CASTING information in New Zealand, LA and London

Production on THE HOBBIT Pushed to Mid-Summer 2010

Guillermo Del Toro's Monster Cameo Appearance in 'The Hobbit'

'The Hobbit' News: WETA's Richard Taylor on 3D Hobbit | Time-Warner Tops MGM Bids

Production on THE HOBBIT Pushed to Mid-Summer 2010

MGM on the Verge of Bankruptcy |'The Hobbit' & James Bond in Jeopardy

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Guillermo del Toro's 'Julia's Eyes' Movie Trailer | TIFF 2010 Special Presentation

Belén Rueda starred in the Guillermo del Toro produced film The Orphanage, which premiered at the Toronto Film Fest in 2007. Now Rueda is back in another GDT film: Julia’s Eyes, directed by Guillem Morales (The Uncertain Guest). Both films were shot by cinematographer Óscar Faura.

Julia’s Eyes will play as a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival.

TIFF Synopsis
Julia, a woman suffering from a degenerative eye disease, finds her blind twin sister Sara hanged in the basement of her house. Julia decides to investigate what she feels is a murder case, entering a dark world that seems to hide a mysterious presence. As Julia begins to uncover the terrifying truth about her sister’s death, her sight deteriorates further, until a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances cross her path. The film stars Belen Rueda and Lluis Homar (Broken Embraces).

TIFF SCREENING TIMES
Sat Sep 11, 9:45 PM – SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2
Sun Sep 12, 12:30 PM – AMC 3
Sat Sep 18, 9:00 PM – ISABEL BADER THEATRE


Subtitled version of the trailer (new):




Spanish language version:


Juia's Eyes Official site [ES]
IMDB
Facebook
GDT fans Facebook Group

Actress Belen Rueda

Additional Links:
International Trailer & Stills From Guillermo Del Toro's ‘Julia’s Eyes’

Lensing Has Begun on the Guillermo del Toro Produced Thriller 'Julia's Eyes' (Los ojos de Julia)

Guillermo del Toro Boards Spanish Thriller 'Julia's Eyes'

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Guillermo Del Toro Boards Jovanka Vuckovic's Debut Short 'The Captured Bird'

Former Rue Morgue editor-in-chief Jovanka Vuckovic is preparing to shoot her debut short film, The Captured Bird, Executive Produced by Guillermo del Toro, Oscar-winning director of Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy films franchise.

Vuckovic was recently named by the Horror Society as one of the top thirteen most important women in the history of horror, alongside Mary Shelley, Kathryn Bigelow and Vamipra.

"Jovanka's vision has been honed to perfection and combines true poetry with savage instinct," says del Toro. "[It's] lyrical and brutal. Just what the doctor ordered."

Adds Vuckovic, "Having Guillermo [del Toro] on board as Executive Producer is like a dream come true for a first time filmmaker. His well of inspiration is as limitless as his generosity. Plus, The Captured Bird is just too ambitious to make without his guidance. I'm very grateful to have him as part of the team."

Mike Elizalde's Oscar-nominated special make-up effects studio Spectral Motion (Hellboy II, X-Men: The Last Stand) will provide creature effects. Emmy Award-nominated visual effects supervisor Tammy Sutton (Avatar, Spider-Man 2) as well as filmmakers Douglas Buck (Sisters) and Karim Hussain (La belle bête), will be serving as editor and director of photography, respectively.

"The Captured Bird is inspired in part by a childhood nightmare, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, the fables of the Brothers Grimm and the paranormal phenomenon referred to as The Shadow People," explains writer-director Vuckovic. "It's sort of a dark fable that I hope people will find haunting, poetic and beautiful."

The Captured Bird.com, a feature-packed website will track the development of the film with regular blog updates from Vuckovic. The site will also feature videos of the film's progress, including location scouts, production meetings, and interviews with well-known genre filmmakers about how to approach making your first movie. Filmmakers such as del Toro, George Romero (Night of the Living Dead), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) and Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) provide input.

The website makes use of "crowdfunding." Fans and supporters can make a donation in any amount towards production, which to date has raised thirty per cent of its budget through Canadian broadcaster Bravo!, which has first-time Canadian broadcast rights. All funders will receive a thank you credit in the film and donors of a certain amount are given special rewards, some of which include an autographed copy of Jovanka's forthcoming coffee-table book on zombies or a Pan's Labyrinth script autographed by del Toro.

The Captured Bird is scheduled to shoot in the spring of 2011 for a film festival tour through 2012. It has already been accepted to the prestigious Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal. Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas and the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and several international festivals have also already shown interest.

For more information visit The Captured Bird

For the latest Guillermo del Toro breaking news join the GDT Facebook Group.

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An Evening with Guillermo del Toro and 'The Fall' -- Event & Book Signing in San Francisco September 28th! Buy Tix Online

Film fans, young filmmakers and vampire and horror novel fans alike won't want to miss this very special event with prolific multihyphenate multi award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro! The Fall, the second book in The Strain Trilogy book signing will follow a very special event at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco on September 28th.

A VIP ticket entitles you to a private pre-talk reception, at 6:30 PM, with Mr. Del Toro, including delicious food, a special bar drink, seat, and a copy of The Fall! Lucky you -- if you happen to be in San Francisco that day! Check it out ...

Date	From September 28, 2010 7:30 PM Until September 28, 2010 9:00 PM
Location	Sundance Kabuki Theater 1881 Post Street at Fillmore San Francisco, CA 94115 [map it!]
Price	$12.00 - $75.00
Info Line	415-863-8688
Website	http://www.booksmith.com
Contact	events@booksmith.com

Description

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Guillermo del Toro made his feature directorial debut in 1993 with the film Cronos, and has since gone on to direct, among other films, Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Blade II, Hellboy I, Hellboy II, and Pan's Labyrinth, which garnered enormous critical praise worldwide and won three Academy Awards. Del Toro has produced and written films numerous films. He is currently working on a remake of Frankenstein; it's been announced that James Cameron will produce Del Toro's 3-D At the Mountains of Madness, and that Del Toro will direct Disney's The Haunted Mansion. With Chuck Hogan, Del Toro has become a novelist as well. Their first novel was The Strain, about which all that must be said is this: They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months -- the world. "I cannot wait to see where Del Toro and Hogan take us next." -- James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Doomsday Key The wait is over! Guillermo Del Toro returns with The Fall -- the second blood-chilling volume in their critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling Strain Trilogy. The Fall picks up where The Strain left off -- with a vampiric infection spreading like wildfire across America as a small band of heroes struggles to save the dwindling human race from the vampire plague. Horror fiction and dark fantasy fans will be swept up in this epic story that bestselling author Nelson DeMille describes as "Bram Stoker meets Stephen King meets Michael Crichton." In addition to his multiple screen ventures, Del Toro is, with Chuck Hogan, writing the third volume in The Strain trilogy. Advance ticket purchase encouraged; tickets at the door may not be available. General admission $12. VIP ticket for private pre-talk reception, at 6:30 PM, with Mr. Del Toro, including delicious food, a special bar drink, seat, and a copy of The Fall $75. (21+ only) NOTE: No one under 21 years old will be admitted.

Notes

General seating ($12 tickets) begins at 6:45 PM. Reserved seating for VIP reception ticket holders ($75 tickets) begins promptly at 7:15

Buy tickets online now.

Pre-Order The Fall online now!

Join the Guillermo del Toro Facebook fans Group.

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James Cameron & James Stewart Discuss "3D" | Cameron Talks "Mountains of Madness", AVATAR & Sequels

James Cameron (left), James Stewart of Geneva Film Co. (right)

WE ARE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE!

At this year's Banff World Television Festival most of the hype was focused on stereoscopic digital 3D. We were thrilled to learn about all the programming in the works for 3D mobile streaming devices (phones, iPad), television and film conversions. 3D is not dying -- it is here to stay!

Remember the line from Avatar "We are not in Kansas anymore"? Well, producer/director James Stewart said what James Cameron meant by that was we're going into stereoscopic 3D and we are not going back! 2010 had been called "The Year of 3D" by many people because 3D is digital and we have the technology to create perfect imagery throughout the process. It is very successful and will continue to be. Digital has changed everything. The process of filming Stereoscopic digital 3D is captured digitally, post-produced digitally and shown digitally.

Broadcasters in Canada and worldwide are launching 3D channels. From Avatar to iPhone, 3D is the future of digital media! James Stewart is president and founder of Geneva Film Co. and a leading authority in the emerging 3D universe, speaking alongside celebrated 3D authorities such as Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron in Los Angeles, Sydney, Paris, London and Singapore. Watch Stewart's presentation from Banff TV 2010 (after the jump) about where 3D came from, how it works and why is it happening.




DOP Alan Lennox says the new portable equipment is democratizing 3D production as it is all digital and utilizes the existing infrastructure. Back in the old days, you had 2 giant IMAX or film cameras locked together in pairs. It was a big tangle. Now we're down to the same old steadicam, recording 2 bit 2K streams to a computer the size of an iPad. There are no wires or cables. The control is built in. "Its just regular equipment". See the 3DCC gear from 3D Camera Company in the demo video after the jump below.




CAMERON TALKS "AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS", AVATAR & SEQUELS

Avatar hits theaters August 27th exclusively on 3D screens with nine minutes of new, Pandora set footage. The new footage will include several new or extended scenes Cameron cut to keep the running time down to 162 minutes and introduce audiences to a new Pandoran creature, Sturmbeest, the object of a Na'vi hunt.

MTV reports Cameron is working on adapting his "scriptment" for Avatar into a novel.

As for Avatar 2 and 3, Cameron won't begin working on the screenplays until the deals with 20th Century Fox are locked in. Cameron is seriously considering filming Avatar 2 and 3 back-to-back for cost and logistical reasons.

MarketSaw recently did an in-depth audio interview with Cameron. The interview covers the Avatar Special Edition re-release on the 27th, Avatar 2 and 3, 3D post-conversion on Titanic, and producing Guillermo del Toro's upcoming adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.

Here are just a few of the highlights from MarketSaw's interview:


* Cameron confirms he is producing Guillermo del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness. The movie will be shot in native 3D using next generation FUSION 3D cameras from Pace. The project came up only 2 or 3 weeks ago when when Cameron asked about if del Toro was still interested in it. As del Toro was ecstatic to do it, Cameron said "let's do it". They took it to Universal with both of them attached to the fast tracked project and now it looks like it will be going in the 2nd quarter of 2011.

* Cameron talks about 3D conversions. Titanic's conversion is taking 8 months to a year to complete.

* Cameron talks about Avatar 2's current status. He has an overall story arc for 2 and 3, but has some modifications for that after spending some time during the last few months with native tribes in the Amazon basin. The script is quite a way out yet for Avatar 2.

It is refreshing to hear it from Cameron, the man that really started it all for modern 3D in Hollywood. Give the cool MarketSaw audio interview with Cameron a listen!

Additional Links:
Guillermo del Toro's 'Mountains of Madness', 'Haunted Mansion' & 'The Fall' Book Tour Dates

Guillermo del Toro fans Facebook Group

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Guillermo del Toro's 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' (2011) -- Teaser Trailer

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was one of the buzz films at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Word has it the R-rated teaser trailer scared and thrilled audiences in Hall H.

DBAOTD is based on the old TV-movie from the 1970s; is co-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Troy Nixey.

Joined on stage by director Troy Nixey, del Toro unveiled a teaser for the film (see end of post). "What was that?!" yelled del Toro as the lights came up, exclaiming that he had just soiled his pants.

Official Synopsis

“Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison), a lonely, withdrawn child, has just arrived in Rhode Island to live with her father Alex (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) at the 19th-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, the young girl discovers a hidden basement, undisturbed since the strange disappearance of the mansion’s builder a century ago.

When Sally unwittingly lets loose a race of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures who conspire to drag her down into the mysterious house’s bottomless depths, she must convince Alex and Kim that it’s not a fantasy—before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all.”

IGN.com reports the opening sequence from the film was screened for the Hall H crowd at SDCC. It's a prologue to the main story that takes place perhaps 150 years ago. We meet a young servant in the old house late one night. She's looking for her master, and heads down to the basement . She trips on the stairs and suddenly stumbled upon her now part-crazed employer. He pins the semi-conscious girl to the ground and aims a hammer and chisel at her mouth -- all toothless. The old man then smashes the girl's teeth out (offscreen...eeewwww). He goes about picking up the bloody things off the floor and collecting them in a plate, which he then places in a small access point in the wall. His child is trapped in that wall, and we can hear the boy's cries as he calls for his father. The old man is offering the teeth in exchange for the child to… whatever it is that took the boy. The sequence ends with the mostly unseen critters suddenly rushing the man and yanking him into the wall too as he screams in agony.

Whoa...WICKED! Deliciously EVIL! Can hardly wait until January!

Genre: Horror
Rating: R (for violence and terror)
U.S. Release Date: January 21, 2011
Cast: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison, Jack Thompson
Director: Troy Nixey
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Official Site

Previous Coverage

Miramax Plans to Release ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ Under a New Name

'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark' Director Troy Nixey's First Film 'Latchkey's Lament' [watch] & Happy Birthday to Guillermo del Toro !

Katie Holmes on the Set of 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

Guillermo del Toro Facebook Group

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Source: IGN

Guillermo del Toro's 'Mountains of Madness', 'Haunted Mansion' & 'The Fall' Book Tour Dates

Guillermo del Toro news and rumors are still flying since his recent visit to San Diego Comic Con.

At The Mountains of Madness

Since departing 'The Hobbit', Guillermo del Toro's next film has been the subject of many rumours. The most popular being that his next project will be At The Mountains Of Madness (2013), an adaptation of the HP Lovecraft tale that will be shot as a 3D film for Universal Pictures. The bonus surprise is that his good friend James Cameron will come aboard as a producer. A little known fact: Cameron helped del Toro out years ago when his father was kidnapped in Mexico.

GDT told the Comic Con crowd he'd set his next film shortly, and that it would be scary. At the Mountains of Madness fits that bill.

Set in the 1930s At The Mountains Of Madness reveals the existence of a remote frozen and ancient (non-human) city in the central wastes of Antarctica. Mankind's true origins are revealed (incidental 'playthings' created for amusement by the Great Old Ones). Many of the expedition members are killed, one (Danforth) driven incurably insane by the ancient knowledge and unpleasant events which overtake the expedition. The theme of 'forbidden knowledge' is echoed in the very opening lines of the story by the expedition's leader and survivor (Professor Dyer of the Miskatonic University): "I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why".

Those characters who attempt to make use of such knowledge are almost invariably doomed. Sometimes their work attracts the attention of malevolent beings; other times, evoking the spirit of Frankenstein, they are destroyed by monsters of their own creation.

The film will be a big ticket item, shot in 3D where Cameron's expertise can really help. Deadline.com reports the film will begin pre-production in the next few weeks, and shoot next summer.

Del Toro's company is making films like Frankenstein (2012) and the Kurt Vonnegut novel Slaughterhouse-Five at Universal. ATMOM was included in the multi-picture deal with Universal back in 2007. No official announcement has been made by Universal or del Toro.

In the meantime check out a cool "ATMOM fan faux trailer" after the jump.

The Haunted Mansion

At the Comic Con TRON panel del Toro announced that he (and writing partner Matthew Robbins) will be writing and producing a film called The Haunted Mansion (2012) inspired by the theme park ride.

The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive Q&A with del Toro revealed the following...

"It's going to be a thrill ride for the whole family but it's definitely going to be scary," GDT said. "(Walt) Disney is one of the creators of some of the scariest images in my childhood. People forget that he not only made sweet images but also images of nightmare. We need to honor that side of the legacy."

Disney envisions the new movie as one that will draw in the four-quadrant audience with real scares, drawing upon Del Toro's ability to summon up fantastic images like those he created in "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Hellboy."

"The result is a unique combination of dark and fun," said del Toro. "I want to really honor the two sensibilities."

'Hatbox Ghost' Designed by Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily
Released in 2005

Specific plot details and creature characters are being guarded. However, one ghost that will appear is the Hatbox Ghost, who is dressed in a cloak and top hat, and whose head disappears and reappears in a hatbox the ghost holds in his hand.

"There are several mansions around the world and he is the spider in the center of the web of these mansions around the world," said del Toro. "He will be a pivotal figure in the screenplay."

Del Toro and Disney are anticipating a longer-than-usual development process. He wants to not only nail down a script but also the designs of the ghostly multitude.

He also wants to spend time creating a visually stylized world not just for the mansion but for the "real" world as well, mixing the ideas of the original concept drawing with his own visual signature. The last thing he wants is a mansion movie with a creaky musty tone.

"We want to make a haunted house movie for the 21st century," he said.

The Fall

Guillermo Del Toro's The Fall, the second book in The Strain Trilogy, launches in bookstores on September 21, 2010. Pre-order now.

He will be signing copies of The Fall at the following locations:

Tuesday, September 21

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BLOOMBERG STUDIOS/Charlie Rose

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
THE NEW YORK TIMES/Times Talks
21st FL 620 Eighth AVE New York, NY 10036

Wednesday, September 22

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BORDERS
10 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019

Thursday, September 23

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BRATTLE THEATER/Harvard Bookstore
40 Brattle St Harvard Square Cambridge, MA 02138

Friday, September 24

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
TATTERED COVER BOOK STORE
9315 Dorchester ST Highlands Ranch Town Center Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Monday, September 27

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
CBS-TV/Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Tuesday, September 28

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
GOOGLE
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Google - Building 42 Mountain View, CA 94043

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BOOKSMITH/At the Kabuki Theater
601 Van Ness San Francisco, CA 94102

Wednesday, September 29

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
POWELL'S BOOKSTORE
Baghdad Theater 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214

Friday, October 01

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
AMAZON

Saturday, October 02

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BARNES & NOBLE
STE K 30 189 Grove Drive Los Angeles, CA 90036

Friday, October 08

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
CHELTENHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL

Dates and times are subject to change. Please contact venue to confirm details.

For the latest Guillermo del Toro news join the GDT Facebook Group.

* * *

Source: HollywoodReporter.com, Deadline.com, HarperCollins.com

Guillermo Del Toro's Update From the Saturn Awards | Win a Trip to Meet GDT

Guillermo del Toro at the 36th Annual Saturn Awards.
He'll be "shopping"the SDCC floor all 3 days!

Guillermo del Toro updated Collider on all projects including Hellboy III, Death: The High Cost of Living, Frankenstein and at the Mountains of Madness while backstage at the 36th Annual Saturn Awards.

The 20 minute video interview with GDT reveals the following highlights:

Frankenstein is still in the works and Doug Jones will play the monster. Sculpting is done and testing will be done with Doug soon.

Hellboy III will only happen after his next project.

Doesn't reveal what his next project is but says he wants to make something a bit smaller this time. He has narrowed his list of projects to 3 and they all have scripts much further along. The script he really wants to do he started 15 years ago!

He said that leaving The Hobbit was "the hardest decision he has made", and when asked if MGM sorted out their troubles, would it be a possibility he would get back on board, he said "it hurts me to even speculate".

A Death: The High Cost of Living movie still very much holds his interest, but both he and the other potential producers are convinced that the only director should be Neil Gaimen.

He'll be promoting Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark at Comic Con where he will be announcing a project he will be writing, producing and maybe directing. He'll be at San Diego Comic-Con for 3 days to do some "shopping" for his man cave (his second home).

He says that since he has come home from New Zealand, he has been approached to direct a lot of projects by various studios. He doesn't say anything specific, but reveals that there is "a lot of neat stuff cooking", and a lot of the films would be "geekgasms for everyone".

Talks Splice.

Says his brother is making for him the car from the movie The Car (1977) starring James Brolin! He’ll be driving around Los Angeles in 3 months in it. Love it! Director Sean McConville's (Deadline) latest supernatural film is by the same name, The Car. Ryan Davies is haunted by a ghost chick who convinces him to hunt down and kill her abductors while restoring his Pontiac Gto Le Manns.

Watch the hilarious interview with GDT below after the jump to discover more cool details.

Guillermo del Toro Talks THE HOBBIT, HELLBOY 3, FRANKENSTEIN, AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, SATURN AND THE END OF DAYS from ColliderVideos on Vimeo.

Win a Grand Prize Trip to Meet Guillermo del Toro in Los Angeles!

Enter online today at Fandango.com

GRAND PRIZE:

* Round-trip airfare for 2 to Los Angeles

* A 3 night hotel stay

* A meet and greet with Guillermo Del Toro

3 RUNNER-UP PRIZES:

* 1 copy of each of the 3 novels in The Strain Trilogy, signed by both authors, Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan.

*No purchase necessary. See official rules for details, including how to enter by mail without making a purchase.

Fandango’s “Meet Guillermo Del Toro” Sweepstakes ("Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the forty-nine (49) United States or the District of Columbia (void in Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories and possessions and all overseas military installations) who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or older as of June 11, 2010.

Good luck!

For all the latest news on Guillermo del Toro join the GDT Facebook Fan Page.

* * *

Christoph Waltz to Team Up with Guillermo del Toro in 'Wizard of Oz' Remake? Van Helsing?

Christoph Waltz and Guillermo del Toro are two of the hottest names in entertainment today.

Are these two huge talents teaming up on a project? Totally believable! A Wizard of Oz remake Guillermo del Toro style starring Christoph Waltz? Sound believable? Hmmm. So then just what might that project be? Maybe we'll find out at this year's San Diego Comic Con, July 21-25.

Christoph Waltz portrays August Rosenbluth
in 'Water for Elephants'
Photo Credit: Bauer Griffin

Waltz in currently in Filmore filming Water for Elephants. He portrays a cruel circus animal trainer for The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. He then moves onto his role as Cardinal Richelieu in Paul Anderson's remake of The Three Musketeers which is currently in pre-production.

Multihyphenate Guillermo del Toro recently quit The Hobbit which is stuck in development hell indefinitely. According to internet sources he is rumoured to be attached to many projects including a remake of the Wizard of Oz, a very dark version.

The latest internet rumour, first reported by Pajiba.com, is that he will write and produce a Van Helsing project.

Universal Pictures is developing another Van Helsing movie. Van Helsing is a 2004 American action horror film about vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, written, produced, and directed by Stephen Sommers. The film stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. The film opened on May 7, 2004.

The titular character was inspired by Abraham Van Helsing from Irish author Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Distributed by Universal Pictures, the film includes a number of monsters such as Count Dracula and the Frankenstein's monster in a way similar to the multi-monster movies that Universal produced in the 1940s, such as Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and House of Dracula.

Del Toro's project is not a remake. It’s simply based upon the same fictional vampire hunter character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a great character who was, by all accounts, given an unfair shake in Stephen Sommers’ awful 2004 Van Helsing movie.

The movie, which is being developed at del Toro productions, will be based on a forthcoming treatment written by Guillermo del Toro himself, which is being described as an “action horror story.”

Read Guillermo's official statement (below) from DelToroFilms.com

"Van Helsing (writing and producing) is still in talks and not quite certain. Even then, I would like to share my plans only at COMICON. I am taking it slowly and marking very, very carefully the calendar of projects that I will be involved as producer, writer, etc I will not announce the project I intend to direct until then . I am very happy to say that all the projects and partnerships being considered are both quite surprising and, I hope, powerful. Much as I want, I cannot say much more at this time but I anxiously await to share these with you. I will be shopping on the floor in San DIego for several days. See you there!!"

Don't expect to hear anything for certain about Guillermo's next project until the San Diego Comic Con, July 21-25.

Any collobaration between Guillermo del Toro and Christoph Waltz would be UberStellar! You heard it here first on Schmoozequeen.TV!

Christoph is "Feeling Blue" . . . until the news hits! Check out the video after the jump.

Christoph Waltz is Feeling Blue - The funniest bloopers are right here

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Guillermo del Toro's 'Splice' LA Premiere | Delphine Chaneac's 'Dren' Interview | New Trailer

Vincenzo Natali, Delphine Chaneac, Guillermo del Toro
"Splice" LA Premiere
© Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

Guillermo del Toro's Splice premiered on Wednesday, June 2nd at the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. The black carpet event welcomed cast and crew as well as celebrities Robert Downey Jr., Kenny G, Mehcad Brooks and Hollywood producer mogul Joel Silver.

Robert Downey Jr. and Adrien Brody
"Splice" LA Premiere
© Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

Along with the Los Angeles premiere, one new sneak peek for Splice has also been released in form of an internet trailer (after the photo jump).

Vincenzo Natali and Guillermo del Toro
"Splice" LA Premiere
© Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

Delphine Chaneac (Dren), "Splice" LA Premiere
© Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

Delphine Chaneac plays the grown-up creature Dren, the moral heart of the sci-film film about the gene splice creation of new forms of life.

Delphine Chaneac, "Splice" LA Premiere
© Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

The stunning French actress and model has been compared to a French version of Angelina Jolie. She has only appeared in one English-speaking film, The Pink Panther.

This demanding role required her to convincingly portray a creature made in a lab by an ambitious geneticist couple. 'Dren' is part lizard, part bird, a dash of what-the-heck-is-that and a big dollop of human DNA.

Joel Silver and guest, "Splice" LA Premiere
© Adriana M. Barraza / WENN

Producer Joel Silver was blown away by Splice at the Sundance Film Festival screening and convinced Warner Bros. to pick up the film. A Splice sequel may be in the works! Splice opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 4.

Previous Splice Coverage
Splice Opens June 4th: 4 New Clips | Guillermo del Toro Bids Farewell to 'The Hobbit'
Two New 'Splice' TV Spots
New 'Splice' Full Length Movie Trailer & Official Website
'Splice' Hits Theatres This Summer
Silver Dark Castle 'Splice' Sundance Deal Going Down

'SPLICE' F--KS With Sundance Midnight Screening Audience In A Good Way

Vincenzo Natali & Guillermo del Toro's 'Splice' Premieres at Sitges Today | Watch Clip
Guillermo del Toro 'Spliced': Vincenzo Natali's SPLICE To Premiere In Sitges

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Photo Source: AceShowBiz.com