There are more than a few Latino actors, producers, writers, and hyphenates at work in Hollywood these days, from Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez to Roberto Orci and Salma Hayek…but Guillermo del Toro has to be right up there at the top.
New footage from his giant monster/giant robot epic Pacific Rim has been leaking out recently, and all agree: it looks awesome. Word has also escaped that he’s already at work on a sequel for the blockbuster, and it won’t even premiere until July 2013.
Now, among many other projects, del Toro (as producer) is teaming up with Fox and Mexican animator and filmmaker Jorge R. Gutierrez (director) for Book of Life, a “Day of the Dead” theme animated feature. Gutierrez’s credits include Nickelodeon’s award-winning animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera.
This year alone, he was a producer on DreamWorks’ animated Rise of the Guardian, and briefly the director of The Hobbit. In January, you’ll see him listed as executive producer on the strange family chiller Mama. He’s also announced his next directorial project after Pacific Rim, a haunted-house project called Crimson Peak, which he’ll begin in early 2014…after he’s shot the pilot for the cable version of The Strain, the modern-day-vampire trilogy he co-wrote a couple of years back with Chuck Hogan (Prince of Thieves, aka The Town).
Oh, and he’s working with near-legendary composer Paul Williams on a stage musical version of Pan’s Labyrinth. And that’s not even bringing up already-announced future projects like a feature filmed based on Pinocchio, an Incredible Hulk TV series, and Kung Fu Panda 3.
And that’s just the December news.
While you’re recovering, here’s the much-talked-about trailer for Pacific Rim. (In his spare time of course, del Toro actually did a commentary for it–for the trailer. It’s all just too much…)
