More Info Surfaces on del Toro's "Mountains of Madness" Project

Film maker Guillermo del Toro dropped some painstakingly alluring hints about his plans for a movie based on H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness." The latest remarks appeared in this brief exchange with del Toro, courtesy of aintitcool.com. Here's what the director had to say on his forthcoming Lovecraftian project:

Beaks: So once you do come through on the other side of THE HOBBIT, is AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS still a priority?

Del Toro: One hundred percent. We are developing actively the maquettes, the puppets and the R&D for the digital effects. Part of my deal with Universal is that I will be there somewhat permanently for the live-action, but in exchange I would love to get R&D money to solve the technical problems on AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. We are developing tools that are going to be very unprecedented.

Beaks: And then you'll have made so much money with THE HOBBIT that they won't be able to f*ck with you. You'll be able to make an H.P. Lovecraft movie on a massive scale.

Del Toro: I must tell you, there wouldn't be a better [outcome] than that. If it happens that way, I will be a very happy man. I think that Lovecraft needs to be given the A-plus treatment. What he is in fiction in my mind... he's the highest caliber of fiction. And he needs to be on film. And so far the only properties that are... not Lovecraft but Lovecraftian and A-plus movies are ALIEN by Ridley Scott and THE THING by John Carpenter. Even though those aren't Lovecraft, they're very Lovecraftian.

Beaks: Hey, I love DIE, MONSTER, DIE.

Del Toro: That is a great "B" movie. And I'm a massive fan of RE-ANIMATOR. But the cosmic side of Lovecraft needs a big budget.

This is all excellent news for Lovecraft readers. First, we again have confirmation that the "At the Mountains of Madness" movie is firmly on the board--a fact that should make those who worried about solid studio backing for this breathe easy. Guillermo del Toro's breadth of knowledge on previous Lovecraft films and his potential war chest of money from previous projects could inject H.P. Lovecraft into cinema in a way never before seen. It seems del Toro has a good understanding of what went wrong with the bulk of previous Lovecraft adaptions to cinema, and what went right with the few that were hits.

One thing is almost certain in all this: del Toro's "Mountains" promises to open a new chapter in the history of weird films, if and when it appears. This will be the first H.P. Lovecraft based picture of the new century to be combined with major studio backing, mass marketing, and stunning wonder technology. Expect a flurry of interest in HPL and perhaps even other weird authors if this project rips off the launchpad, elevating all of Lovecraftiana into a new stage of cultural evolution.

-Grim Blogger