GdT takes part in Q&A at this year’s HERO COMPLEX FILM FEST on May 11th at 7pm.  GdT will presents a double feature of Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth.

tickets are on sale now.

here is the link for all the details:

http://events.latimes.com/herocomplex/film-festival/

Here are some DTF exclusive photos from WonderCon 2013

PACRIM invades WonderCon 2013 in Anaheim, California

GdT will be on hand to discuss all things PACRIM at a presentation at this year’s WonderCon  at The Anaheim Convention Center.

The Warner Bros Legendary Pictures panel is set to take place on Saturday in the Arena at 11:30am

Prior to the panel at 10:30am,250 wristbands will be given out at booth 176 for the opportunity to attend an exclusive signing with GdT following the panel in room 213 D

DTF will be there on hand to give you an exclusive look at the day’s festivities.

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!

Attention GDT fans! This year’s DelToroFilms Forum Party (“Hellebration”, for you long-timers) will be held on August 11th in Rosemont, Illinois (near Chicago). This is the site of the 2012 Wizard World Comic Convention.

We have something a little different planned this year. Along with the standard meetup at the comic convention early in the day, I have secured a location in nearbye Hinsdale for a movie screening and cocktail party.

Here is all the information that you need to know:

Tickets for the Wizard World Comic Convention are available here:
http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/chicago.html

All details for convention are here, including travel and hotel info:

http://www.wizardworldcomiccon.com/show-info-ch.html

Here is the nearest hotel to the evening cocktail party and movie screening in Hinsdale:

http://westmont.clubhouseinn.com/

Please RSVP and let us know you are coming – send an email to “parker at deltorofilms dot com”

See you there!

Although not many details emerged from  the LEGENDARY PICTURES panel at SDCC on PACIFIC RIM, we still got to see the cast together for the first time.  Plus our faithful correspondent Gary grabbed some pictures for us.  Read on, faithful readers:

• First glimpse at some art from PACIFIC RIM appeared – looks like a  military shield of some sort - no doubt it is the insignia of the humans trained to fight in giant robot suits (picture above).
• Like Babe Ruth calling his shot out of the park, GDT stepped up at the LEGENDARY PICTURES panel and made a promise to fans: ”It is my duty to film the finest f*****g monsters ever committed to the screen. And the greatest f*****g robots ever committed to screen.”  More quotes below:

“There’s much more to it than the giant monsters and giant robots,” he said. “We want to make it a big what if: what would happen in the real world if a twenty-five story thing came out of the sea and started destroying cities? How would the world change? What weapons do we need to develop to fight a thing like that? It’s not a fantastic distant future to which we have no relationship. We wanted to make it in the now.”

“Everything as geeks and fans we ask ourselves about giant monsters and kaiju I wanted to answer in the movie. We created a whole world around that one giant variable. This will not be a movie that has only spectacle and scope.”

• PACIFIC RIM’s screenplay author Travis Beacham posted a nice picture of the cast, GDT and himself behind the scenes on his twitter page (@travisbeacham).

• Finally, head over to the Deltorofilms.com Facebook page to view pictures from the whole weekend!

The Los Angeles Film Festival has announced that Guillermo Del Toro has been selected as Guest Director at the Los Angeles Film Festival.  As part of this role, Del Toro will present a film at the festival that was a significant influence in his life and follow it with a Q&A session.  In addition, DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK will close the festival on June 26th at Regal Cinemas Stadium 14 LA LIVE. 

“Guillermo del Toro is one of the most visionary directors of our time.  It’s an honor to welcome Guillermo back to our Festival as this year’s Guest Director and to unite our audiences with this extraordinary, consummate artist,” said Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham.  “Building on a tradition of providing our audiences with access to world-class artists and their work, we’re thrilled to announce this round of Festival additions.”

The screenplay for DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK was written by Del Toro and his writing partner Matthew Robbins.  The film is directed by Troy Nixey and stars Katie Holmes and Guy Pierce.

Passes are available May 31 at the official Festival website here.

Last night, Guillermo Del Toro moderated a Q&A with Edgar Wright, Brian O’Malley and Michael Cera to promote the Blu-Ray release of SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD.  IFC has some great coverage of the event, including some transcripts and online video.

I highly recommend going to the link above and reading the entire article and watching all the videos. Just some great commentary on a great movie.

Of note was GDT’s take on how movies and video games will change and start to merge over the coming years. Check it out below:

THE FALL releases Sept 16th in the UK, Sept 21st in the US.

Here is GDT’s schedule:

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
COMEDY CENTRAL/The Colbert Report

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

Monday, September 27

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
MTV MOVIE BLOG

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
FANGORIA

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
SIRIUS XM RADIO/The Ron & Fez Show

Thursday, September 23

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

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
WBUR-AM/On Point

Friday, September 24

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
DARK DELICACIES
3512 W Magnolia Blvd Burbank, CA 91505

Monday, September 27

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

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
KCET-TV/Tavis Smiley Show

Tuesday, September 28

Guillermo Del Toro will be promoting The Fall
BOOKSMITH/At the Kabuki Theater
1881 Post ST San Francisco, CA 94115

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