It’s hard to imagine that people say no to a filmmaker like Guillermo del Toro, but before landing his Best Director Oscar for “The Shape of Water” there had been a handful of projects that slipped through his fingers. The most notable failed attempt was a live-action adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft‘s “At The Mountains of Madness.” Lovecraft’s tale mixes the science fiction and horror genres which would later have a direct influence on films like “Alien,” John Carpenter‘s “The Thing,” and more recently “Prometheus.”

READ MORE: ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’: Guillermo del Toro Drops Early VFX Footage From His Scrapped Universal Film

More than a decade later, del Toro shared a bit update with IndieWire about the lost project.

Continue reading Guillermo del Toro Has Spoken With VFX Legend Phil Tippett About Turning ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ Into A Stop-Motion Project at The Playlist.

Of all the projects that Guillermo del Toro has teased over the years, coming close to making but not quite reaching the finish line, his adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness” is something still talked about today. Originally developed more than a decade ago, the film was set up to be a big blockbuster for a major studio. Eventually, like so many other projects, ‘Madness’ stalled and eventually never got past the development and scripting stage.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Pitched Netflix On A “Far More Esoteric, Weirder, Smaller” Version Of ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ at The Playlist.

If you’re a fan of unique and beautiful filmmaking, there’s probably one thing that we can all agree on — the world needs more Guillermo del Toro. The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind works like “The Shape of Water,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” and “Pacific Rim” may not be everyone’s favorite writer or director. However, you can’t deny that each and every project from del Toro is worth paying attention for.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Shares A List Of Unproduced Scripts He’s Written & Laments The Time “Lost” Due To The Projects at The Playlist.

Guillermo del Toro has drawers full of lost and unmade movies, but perhaps the crown jewel of them all is “At The Mountains Of Madness.” I’ll keep the history brief, but the filmmaker struggled to bring the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation to the big screen, and managed to get what looked like a killer set of an ingredients: star Tom Cruise, and producer James Cameron.

Continue reading Guillermo del Toro Says R-Rating Killed ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ at The Playlist.

Being a filmmaker can sometimes be a bit like being a medieval parent. The smart thing to do is to have as many children as possible, because the growing-up process is so fraught with danger that not all of them are going to make it to adulthood. It’s why, when directors get some heat, you’ll often find them developing or becoming attached to more projects than they could ever make, in part because they’re overflowing with ideas, and in part just in the hope that one gets through the system the next time they have a free slot.

Continue reading The A-Z Of The Lost & Unmade Movies Of Guillermo Del Toro at The Playlist.

MONTREAL — Each year, Fantasia Film Festival presents an honorary Cheval Noir Award to an influential figure in genre filmmaking, with past recipients including Tobe Hooper, Andrzej Żuławski and Ken Russell. Coincidently timed to the announcement of the Criterion special edition of his 2006 masterpiece “Pan’s Labyrinth,” this year’s prize has been given to Guillermo del Toro, who also gave a masterclass alongside the screening of a documentary in which he features, “Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex.” Ever the orator, the Mexican-born director spent some time with the press this afternoon to talk about his childhood as a member of the “monster kid generation,” some past challenges, and upcoming projects.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Talks The “Miscarriage” Of ‘At The Mountains Of Madness,’ Special Effects, And More at The Playlist.

Guillermo Del Toro Says He's Prepared To Do 'At The Mountains Of Madness' As PG-13 Now

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Says He’s Prepared To Do ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ As PG-13 Now at The Playlist.

Guillermo del Toro Says He'll Try To Mount 'Mountains Of Madness' Again Soon; Suggests 'The Hulk' TV Show Is Dormant

Continue reading Guillermo del Toro Says He’ll Try To Mount ‘Mountains Of Madness’ Again Soon; Suggests ‘The Hulk’ TV Show Is Dormant at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Still Needs To See ‘Prometheus’ Before Deciding If He’ll Attempt ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Says ‘Prometheus’ Has Killed ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ Because They Both Have The Same Final Twist at The Playlist.

2011: The Year The Big Projects Died & Studios Discovered (A Little) Fiscal Responsibility

Continue reading 2011: The Year The Big Projects Died & Studios Discovered (A Little) Fiscal Responsibility at The Playlist.

Continue reading Comic-Con ’11: Guillermo Del Toro & Ron Perlman Keep Hope Alive For “Epic, Gigantic” ‘Hellboy 3’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro “Not Giving Up” On Adaptation Of H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘At The Mountain Of Madness’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading To Honor The Passing Of ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’: 10 More Great Lost Projects at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Says $150 Million ‘Mountains’ Budget Was Approved By Universal at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Confirms ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’ Is Dead at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro To Direct ‘Pacific Rim’ Instead Of ‘At The Mountains Of Madness’? at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro May Not Have His ‘Mountains Of Madness’ Green Light Yet at The Playlist.

Continue reading James McAvoy Says He Knows Nothing About Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Mountain Of Madness,’ Yet at The Playlist.

Continue reading Tom Cruise Not Quite Set For ‘Mountains Of Madness’; Slowly Inching Forward To ‘Rock Of Ages’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Updates On ‘At The Mountains Of Madness,’ Aiming For A June 2011 Shoot at The Playlist.

Continue reading Guillermo del Toro Admits He Didn’t Want 3D For ‘The Hobbit,’ Doesn’t Want It For Frankenstein’ at The Playlist.