‘Frankenstein’ Director Guillermo Del Toro’s Dream Of Adapting HP Lovecraft’s ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ Is Probably Dead And Buried
On the heels of his latest release/literary adaptation, Frankenstein, which (in case you’ve lived under a rock for 200 years) is based on the timeless tale of terror by Mary Shelley, Guillermo Del Toro is saying a solemn farewell to a project he has wanted to make for years.
The creature and fantasy-friendly director has been developing an adaptation of HP Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness for a long time and hasn’t seen a lot of progress. The reason is, despite the auteur’s stellar, Oscar-winning reputation, the project might be too ambitious for the rating he desires.
“I don’t think so, I would hope so,” Del Toro revealed via Collider, “It depends, it’s a big movie. It’s a complicated movie to shoot. It is R-rated. So, I don’t think people are lining up to do it.”
How complicated could it be? Well, it will be steeped in Lovecraftian lore with a host of monsters that tie back to Cthulhu and ancient civilizations. Del Toro is no tourist when it comes to any of that, but the scale might be bigger than anyone can handle – that is, more intimidating than the looming presence of Cthulhu itself.
Written in 1931, Lovecraft’s story revolves around a character named Dr. William Dyer and his failed expedition to Antarctica that uncovers all the aforementioned mysteries and folklore. To convey his vision of the tale for the screen, Del Toro shared a CG sequence ILM made on social media back in 2022.
In the clip, a man is descended upon by a terrifying humanoid bug-like monster. The thing (an apt designation) makes disturbingly squishy noises and appears to be several species of creature in one with tentacles as a primary method of attack (naturally).
The being (also an apt descriptor) is typically identified as a shoggoth, an alien creation from the story once used for slave labor by a race called the Elder Things. The shoggoths rebelled, becoming emancipated that know only one mode – destruction.
Del Toro should be able to punch his own ticket, and Lovecraft never goes out of style, but the reality of filmmaking is even the greats get denied including the mind that gave us Lovecraftian-esque films like Pan’s Labyrinth. All you need for proof is his unmade version of the third Hellboy.
NEXT: ‘Pacific Rim’ Director Guillermo Del Toro Explains The Impact The Original ‘Godzilla’ Had On Him
