Like a monster from the sea, PACIFIC RIM waded out of the sea and crushed the fans of the San Diego Comic Con.

Judging from the internet reaction, the Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures presentation at Hall H on Saturday was a big success.  Fans and media were treated to clips of giant robots and monsters duking it out in an impressive media presentation.  The enthusiastic attendees took to twitter and blogs, sharing their reaction with fans not lucky enough to be among the capacity crowd.  Some of my favorite tweets from yesterday:

@slashfilm: Someone was crazy enough to gave Guillermo hundreds of millions of dollars to play with, and we’re all invited to the toy box

@devincf: Literally choked up with awe and wonder and excitement from the PACIFIC RIM footage. Huge, thrilling

@firstshowing: Gigantic, I mean GIANT robots vs monsters, it looks so so so huge, so badass, holy sh*t wait until see you this stuff yourself.

I would venture to guess that Legendary has a big hit on their hands, and to include it with the likes of THE HOBBIT and SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL, which also presented, is saying big things about their expectations.

Here are some other quotes of interest, pulled from the online media reports:

Hollywood Reporter

With his Mexican accent, his eloquent profanity, and his ability to speak geek, del Toro talked of the creative process behind the movie, in which he combined his drive to make the film’s destruction as real as possible, while also retaining heart.

“No f—ing motion capture,” he exclaimed of his choice to eschew that technique to convey the Jaegers. “I don’t want the robots moving like human beings. They need to move like a shock absorber and gears move.”He also described how the production had the soundstages rigged so that sidewalks, cars, and streets actually crumbled and shook when filming monsters stalking cities.

USA Today

There are around seven different robots in the movie, del Toro said, and nine monsters, or Kaiju. His team designed 40 different monsters, “and we did an American Idol on them. The better Kaiju are the ones in the movie.

“Everybody was a fan of monsters and robots,” he added, “and we locked ourselves in adjacent rooms and played.”

To make the creatures seem more real, del Toro is putting them in elements like rain and mud, and they’ll each have different personalities and abilities. (Footage showed one shark-looking beastie getting a smackdown courtesy of a Jaeger.)

“Sea monsters, flying monsters — we have monsters out the wazoo,” del Toro said.

“When you get a big budget, you can get crazy or lazy. And I got as crazy as I could. We used madness as our fuel to make this movie.”

We also got a sneak peak into what Ron Perlman’s character will be like in PACIFIC RIM – a black market dealer named “Hannibal Chow”, specializing in delivering kaiju parts for consumption by the rich element of society (think of it like witch doctor medicine).  Sounds as if he and Charlie Day’s character, Dr. New Gotlieb, will have some comic run-ins.

You can check out IGN’s report on PACIFIC RIM below:

Also, here is an SDCC interview I found with GDT from ComicVineVideos:

Here is GDT talking about PACIFIC RIM to the Hollywood Reporter prior to SDCC:

PACIFIC RIM Pilot Suits

On the floor of the Comic Con, you could find the Jaeger pilot suit costumes.  The dark suit out front is suit you will see Charlie Hunnam wearing.  Each Jaeger is controlled by two pilots – one controlling the left side of the mech, and the other controlling the right.

PACIFIC RIM Buttons

Also check out these cool PAC RIM buttons that were given away at the Warner Brothers booth.

HELLBOY 3?

And in a surprise SDCC announcement, GDT and Ron Perlman said they would BOTH be up for HELLBOY 3 if they could get it financed.  The catalyst for this announcement was Ron’s recent appearance as HELLBOY for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  See GDT and Ron Perlman talking about the possible reunion on EW’s site.

It is that time of year again – the great Pilgrimage to San Diego for all things movies, monsters and comics.  And, as always, it is one of your best opportunities to meet Guillermo and get some sweet GDT swag!  So what is in store for you this year?  Lots of PACIFIC RIM, of course, but there are other surprises in store for you as well at SDCC!  Find out in DTF’s official Comic Con preview!!!

BLADE II BLU-RAY AND PALE MAN SIGNING AT GENTLE GIANT (Friday)

Friday is your first opportunity to get Guillermo’s autograph, and also some nice GDT merch.  At the Gentle Giant booth on Friday at 1-2:30, GDT will be signing the new Blade II Blu-ray and the Gentle Giant Pale Man statue.  The Blade 2 blu-ray features a comic con exclusive Reaper bust – only 500 sets available (cost: $99).  To read a review of the BluRay, click here. (The Blu-Ray is available in stores now, but not the Reaper bust – it is exclusive to Comic Con).

The Pale Man statue (from Pan’s Labyrinth) is priced at $225, with only 300 available.  See picture below:

In addition to getting Guillermo’s autograph, you can also get the autograph of the Pale Man himself, Doug Jones, at the Gentle Giant booth on these dates: Friday 11am-Noon, and Saturday, 11am – 1pm.

Word of advice from our SDCC veteran and fellow DTF fan – buy the BluRay and the Pale Man statue early on Friday – just in case (you never know if they might sell out during the signing).

PACIFIC RIM (Saturday)

If you are a GDT fan, this is the one event you HAVE to make:  the Legendary Pictures Preview of PACIFIC RIM, scheduled for Saturday, July 14th from 2:30 – 5:00pm at Hall H.  GDT will be there for a special preview, and, although I have no official knowledge of the presentation, I would be SHOCKED if he wasn’t bringing some nice clips to share.  Two things – 1) make sure you get in line early, and 2) if you are bringing little ones, bring some ear muffs.  Guillermo’s Comic Con presentations are legendary for “colorful” language.

Also, you will definitely want to get your hands on the exclusive Comic Con PACIFIC RIM poster, shown below!!

THE STRAIN (Sunday)

Guillermo will signing copies of the THE STRAIN graphic novel at the Dark Horse comics booth on Sunday at 1:00pm.  It is listed as a “ticketed” event, so check in early with the Dark Horse booth to get details.

The San Diego Comic Con is a great opportunity to meet Guillermo, and he always leaves a positive impression with his fans.  What can you say? He’s just a great guy, as you will find out.  But for those who can’t make it, or for those who would like a little preview of what to expect, here is some great historical moments from past GDT appearances in San Diego:

Also, I found this funny little article at DreadCentral about one man’s encounters with Guillermo Del Toro at past Comic Cons.  A fun read.

Have fun DTF’ers, and please report back on your trip to SDCC!

*Wipes dust off jar, opens lid and takes a whiff of contents*

Woah! Little past the expiry date eh? I think we need a fresh one yes? What do you think?

So this is the official Things In Jars relaunch. Since my last post, DelToroFilms.com itself has also gotten a bit of a facelift and now new Jars’ posts will now appear right on the front page
(Thanks Parker!)

The Blogspot site will be maintained as sort of an archive site, aside from DelToroFilms itself.

I’ve gone on quite a few adventures over the last little while (with more coming up) and have lots of great GDT and SFX related tidbits to share.

So, in honour of the relaunch of Things In Jars how about a story about … things in jars.

At the end of January last year I was in London, England on what I dubbed my “BPRD Euro Tour” (for reasons that will become clearer in the future) and at one point I found myself at the Natural History Museum. After giggling like a small child through the corridors filled with dinosaurs, Mary Anning’s marine fossils (The tongue twister “She Sells Seashells” is about Mary Anning), gawking at the Blue Whale skeleton, and ooh-ing over the extensive bird collections there was only one wing (no pun intended) of the building left unvisited. I stepped inside – and burst out laughing (this is when the other tourists start giving you a wide birth folks, when you start laughing all by yourself. The downside of traveling alone!)

The whole wing was nothing but things in jars!

Like this:

And this:

Now, I can’t say that prior to becoming a GDT fan, I had much of an affinity for “things in jars”. The handful of preserved specimens I’d encountered in the past used to strike me as more than a little bit… icky. Skin colours fade, bodies gets squished and compacted, any sort of damage to the specimen gets magnified. They aren’t necessarily what I would deem “pretty”.

Those weren’t the only things in jars I saw on that trip. These were in a museum in Lyon, France, about a week earlier…

A little closer to home (both geographically and chronologically) I took a trip to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) in Toronto this past December to test out the new camera I got for Christmas and I found, you guessed it, more things in jars!

So I think I’ve finally come around to the appeal of things in jars. They are definitely fascinating and as an artist I find they provide a fertile ground for inspiration – all those changes due to the effects of the preservation fluid serve to make strange features even more alien, even more weird, even a little bit – monstrous?

And yes – even a little beautiful…

Finally, it begins.  For the first time in more than 4 years (HELLBOY 2), Guillermo Del Toro is behind the camera and in the director’s chair.  (It may also seem like at least that long since our website has been updated!).  GDT said himself on our message boards that he is “very excited and anxious to tackle this film.”

Here are the principle cast, as reported on IMDB:

Charlie Day (Always Sunny in Philadephia): Newt Gotlieb

Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy): Raleigh Antrobus

Idris Elba (The Wire): Stacker Pentecost

Max Martini (The Unit): Herc Hansen

…and some crew members of note:

Guillermo Navarro (Pan’s Labyrinth): Cinematographer

Mike Elizalde (Hellboy 2): Creature effects

TyRuben Ellingson (Blade 2): Concept designer

Elinore Rose Galbraith (Mimic): Art design

The shoot is scheduled to wrap in May 2012 at Pinewood Studios in Toronto. 

Also, in an interview with Wired.com, GDT mentions that Ron Perlman will have a role in PACIFIC RIM, but did not give details.

***

Now, as I had mentioned, it has been too long since we had an update on the website, so here are some “quick hit” items to get caught up on:

There is a great interview with GDT at Wired.com, where he talks about his new book with Chuck Hogan, THE NIGHT ETERNAL, among other things.  Here are some of my favorite quotes that interview:

There’s a passage at the end of The Night Eternal where one of the characters, Mr. Q, says, “The language of God is biology.” Essentially he says that god sends the letter, but he doesn’t send the dictionary.

I agree with that idea. And that’s what we started with. For example, if I was writing Dracula right now, how would I deal with the arrogance of science? Because science is very, very arrogant. And I thought, “Well, the best way to deal with that is with an epidemic.”

Of particular note in the interview is this sentence: Chuck (Hogan) and I are working on a series of books that I can’t talk too much about. But we started on that about two weeks ago. 

GDT also reports that a screenplay for the HULK pilot has been turned in to ABC, and a screenplay for HAUNTED MANSION has been turned in to Disney.

More news from  the San Diego Comic Con today, as Guillermo continues to make the rounds…

Film District Panel

Guillermo attended the Film District panel to promote DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK.  Also in attendance was DARK director Troy Nixey and Guy Pearce, plus Nicolas Winding Refn to promote DRIVE. Here are some noteworthy quotes, thanks to LatinoReview.com:

• Del Toro says Guy Pearce is “the f*****g man.” 
• Troy Nixey was determined to keep the creatures small, the studio wanted to make them bigger. “… those f*****s don’t give the f**k up.”
• “It was an interesting step to take, the first film of this genre that I’ve delved into.  The thing that drew me to it was that he was so cynical and disbelieving of his daughter, which is representative of what a bad father he is.  A very domestic drama of a girl that has all sorts of issues, and my being all tied up with what I’m tied up with…it’s an element of frustation for the audience.” — Guy Pearce on being the unbelieving character of DBOTD
• GDT, as per character, peppered his talk with his trademark salty language:

             Guy Pearce: “I just noticed that it said ‘be aware your audience members may be under 18′”
             Del Toro: “They didn’t know what the f**k they were getting into!

Also at the Film District panel was Ron Perlman, who is starring in DRIVE.  Naturally, the topic of HELLBOY 3 came up.  The Playlist snagged a quote:

“‘Hellboy 2′ was tough. Both of us walked away from that a little bit, ‘Do I ever want to revisit this?’ But then with the luxury of time and looking at it in an objectified way…We were beat up at the end of it,” Perlman said. “He always looked at it as a trilogy and there were things that were unresolved. So for us to not make it would be letting down people who invested in the first two. It’s epic what he wants to do, but it would be cinematic and well worth doing.”

And Del Toro echoes the sentiments of the franchise star. “Each of those moves has been an incredible ordeal to make. The third one is the hardest one because it’s the darkest one…And if it’s not Ron, I don’t want to make it. The third one is epic, it’s gigantic.”

The Visionary Panel, with GDT and Jon Favreau

Entertainment Weekly has the scoop on the Visionary Panel, where two great filmmakers discuss genre filmmaking in Hollywood.  Some GDT quotes:

On their admiration for one another: “Often directors don’t hang together because we’re jealous a–holes,” Del Toro noted. But the two spoke of their friendship that has developed over the last several years, with Favreau calling Del Toro “an inspiration and a mentor and someone to commiserate with.”

Del Toro on his dream project, At the Mountains of Madness, an adaptation of a classic H.P. Lovecraft horror tale, which recently fell apart over budget concerns: “I hope [we can still make it]. I’ve been trying to do it for so many years. We were so close, and the incarnation we were going to do is so great, I don’t want to give up. Fortunately, we control the property … so we can try to keep it alive. I hope I make it. It’s one of those movies that’s a Holy Grail for me.”

Del Toro on his reputation as a filmmaker: “I don’t think I’m a household name director. I think I’m an acquired taste. When I come here, it’s fantastic, but I don’t buy that illusion… I’m really a freak every place I go. I don’t quite fit in the independent scene, I don’t quite fit in the art scene, and I don’t fit in the Hollywood scene. I’m a weird, strange, fat motherf—er, and I plan to stay that way.”

Del Toro on his next directorial project, Pacific Rim: “It’s the most fun I’ve had on a Hollywood movie ever. It almost should be illegal. We’re designing monsters all day long. Gigantic f—ing monsters. All day long.”

Well, an interesting first day at SDCC, it appears.  Although I could not attend this year, I am able to scan the various news reports online for GDT news – and here is what I have found:

• As was reported on our forums, Guillermo Del Toro will be working with Dark Horse to release a comic book version of THE STRAIN, the trilogy of novels written by GDT and Chuck Hogan.  The comic will be written by David Lapham (Stray Bullets), with art by Mike Huddleston (MK Ultra).  Variety reports that the series is set for publication on December 14th.  Three paperback graphic novels will be released in the fall of 2012.  Each book will be 32 pages, with each novella in the trilogy getting an 8 issue series.  GDT says he will “supervise everything”, giving his opinion on the art, the covers and screenplays. (Artwork below taken from Bleeding Cool).
• Guillermo was supposed to attend the announcement of the Dark Horse STRAIN project last night, but it appears he was unable to attend because of a back injury.  I will post more information as I get it, and will find out if he will be attending his other SDCC commitments.
• DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK has a new official website at http://www.dontbeafraidofthedark.com/.  You can lookup showtimes now and order tickets through the site.  It is a pretty cool site that lets you “explore” the DARK mansion and unlock clues.

  

  

  
  

Lots of news coming our way in the world of GDT – check out the full report below:

• MIMIC is finally getting a Blu-Ray release on September 27th of this year! This HD release promises new bonus materials, including an audio commentary and introduction from GDT, plus two featurettes. The featurettes will be a “behind-the-scenes” retrospective and a special look at the insect creatures.  Also included will be deleted/alternate scenes, outtakes and storyboard animatics.  Will this also be the long-awaited “director’s cut”? No mention of a new cut in the press release, so it would be surprising if it is the anticipated director’s cut of the film.
• GDT will be at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con to promote PACIFIC RIM.  Here is when you can catch him if you are attending

Thursday, July 21, 6:00 – The Visionaries: A Discussion with Jon Favreau and Guillermo Del Toro on the Future of Pop Culture.  This will be the one you won’t want to miss, folks!!  Get in line now.

Friday, July 22nd, 12:45 – Legendary Pictures Preproduction.  GDT will be joined by the unofficial cast of PACIFIC RIM, Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day and Rinko Kikuchi

Note: Although it doesn’t say GDT will attend this panel, you might also want to check out the 2:00pm Film District panel on Thursday, since they will be celebrating the release of DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. 

• Guillermo Del Toro has confirmed that Guillermo Navarro, his long time Director of Photography, will be the DT for PACIFIC RIM.  The official start date for shooting RIM is October 31st in Toronto at Pinewood Studios.  It is slated for  July 21, 2011 release.
• Here are some nice GDT related stories you should check out:

GDT Interview Audio: “Fantasy is Rebellion…Always” (Hollywood Outbreak)

Alchemist Guillermo Del Toro Turns Creepy, Bizarre Material into Movie Gold (Vanity Fair)

Guillermo Del Toro’s Imagination is Working Overtime (L.A. Times)

• DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK will kick off London’s Film4 FrightFest Film Festival on August 25th

Guillermo del Toro on the set of "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" with Bailee Madison. (Carolyn Johns / Miramax Film Corp.)

 Lots of interesting news and notes surfaced over the weekend, following the premiere of DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK at the LA Film Festival.  Check out all that I found below:

• The early reviews for DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK appear to be positive, with most agreeing that the film plays like a dark fairy tale similar to PAN’S LABYRINTH.  That makes sense, since Guillermo says that was the very reason he chose not to direct the film: GDT told the LA Times,  ’”The instincts I have for the material would be the same instincts I had for ‘Pan’s.’ I tried to avoid that.” 
• Here are a couple of reviews currently posted online from Screen Junkies (“entertaining and creative”) and Dread Central (‘expertly paced Gothic chiller’)
• ShockTillYouDrop has a nice photo gallery of images for DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK here.
• GDT served as guest director of the LA Film Festival, selecting the obscure Italian 1996 horror film “L’Arcano Incantatore” (“The Arcane Enchanter”). GDT told the LA Times that he stumped Quinton Tarantino with that film in a ‘name-that-movie’ contest: 

“We were like dueling banjos,” Del Toro said. “I said, ‘I bet you I can name a movie you haven’t seen.’ He went, ‘Shoot.’ This is the movie I trumped him with. I think that if Quentin hasn’t seen it, then 99% of cinema lovers have not seen it because Quentin is like a machine. This is one of my favorite unknown movies ever. This is a really beautiful, incredibly eerie, spiritual fantastic horror movie.”

• Deadline Hollywood reported that their was some “drama” during the DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK premiere.  An hour into the film, the theater was evacuated for an “emergency in the building”…a false alarm.  GDT joked to Film District’s Bob Berney that the prank was probably the “dirty work of Bob Weinstein and the MPAA.”
• ComingSoon.net got a chance to ask Charlie Day about the possiblity of working with Del Toro, here are some quotes passed along from ShockTillYouDrop: 

 

Shock: You just signed on for a tour of the Pacific Rim…

Charlie Day: I’m not officially signed on so I’ve been told to dodge around answering questions, but I’ve definitely been having conversations with them about it. I’d hate to say I’d like to sign on because I don’t want them to low-ball me [laughs] but hopefully that’ll all work out.

 

Shock: What was it like meeting the master, Guillermo del Toro?

Day: I was very thrilled to find out he’d seen every single episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. That’s why we were meeting. Because Pan’s Labyrinth is up there as one of the greatest movies ever made.

 

Shock: He’s such a personality. He’s read every book, he’s seen every movie. If you were to sign on would you have a “Monster Approval” clause in your contract?

Day: [laughs] I will not be given monster approval, but when it comes to Guillermo you let him do all the approving.

 

Shock: Well I hope you can land it because it sounds like an awesome frickin’ project.

Day: I hope so too.

 

Total Film has an exclusive interview with Guillermo Del Toro on his future projects.  Nothing earth-shattering, but GDT does mention some interesting points that I had not heard before.  Here are the high points that I found interesting:

• HAUNTED MANSION:  Will definitely not be a comedy. It will be “exciting”, “thrilling” and “spooky”.  GDT and Matthew Robbins have finished the screenplay and will turn it in to Disney.  GDT got to walk on foot through the Mansion and take notes.
• FRANKENSTEIN: No screenplay yet, describes it as a “daunting” project that is a “peak” to his career, like MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. He has some very daring storytelling ideas for this one, and feels he needs to get better as a director before he can tackle it.
• DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE: Wants to write and produce this one – not direct.  Is interested in exploring the themes of addiction for this one – specifically likes the concept of feeling liberated as Mr. Hyde during Victorian Times (so definitely a period piece).
• PACIFIC RIM: “the biggest project I have ever made in scope and ambition…” 
• THE WITCHES: He is trying to “preserve the pathos and the darkness” of the original work, which is making it difficult to make in Hollywood.  The screenplay is VERY faithful to the original Dahl book.
• SATURN AND THE END OF DAYS: Screenplay still isn’t done yet – a very challenging story about a boy watching the apocolypse from his bedroom window.  It will definitely be a small, European production.
• TROLLHUNTERS: I expect this to be an animated film, probably at Dreamworks.  GDT is co-writing the screenplay with Tom Wheeler, who wrote PUSS IN BOOTS.  He is co-directing with Spanish animator Rodrigo Baas.  Will be an adventure movie for kids.  Will feature “real kids”, not movie kids – which I take to mean that he is dumping the typical kid-movie cliches.

In a July 2010 interview at the Saturn Awards, Guillermo mentioned that he was having his brother build him a replica of THE CAR – a murderous vehicle in a 1977 James Brolin horror film. 

Billed as “Jaws” on wheels, the film follows a police captain’s (Brolin) investigation into a series of hit and run incidents, caused by a supernaturally driven killer automobile.  Although panned by critics, the film has a cult following.  I have not seen it, but can only imagine it might fall in the “so bad it’s good” category.

Guillermo sent us some pictures of his new pimped-out ride. He will be cruising in it this week!