Del Toro To Direct Hobbit Films

"In a major step forward on 'The Hobbit,' Guillermo del Toro has signed on to direct the New Line-MGM tentpole and its sequel.

The widely expected announcement -- which had been rumored for several weeks -- came Thursday afternoon jointly from exec producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich, and Mary Parent, newly named chief of MGM’s Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

Del Toro’s moving to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and his Wingnut and Weta production teams. He’ll direct the two films back to back, with the sequel dealing with the 60-year period between 'The Hobbit' and 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' the first of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy."

To read the rest of Dave McNary's Variety article, click here.

The Tradition Continues

You'll find the phrase See You Next Wednesday - a title to a fictional film - planted in some John Landis movies. It was the title for the first screenplay he wrote, and began as a line in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The above still is from The Blues Brothers.

The reference is starting to spread, as you can see here in the new Hellboy 2: The Golden Army trailer! I guess Guillermo del Toro is a bigger film geek than I thought...

Life Sucks, And So Do Your Dreams

Pan's Labyrinth, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.

The story of a child's journey through a fantasy world has a long tradition, both in literature and film. There's dozens of variations - The Wizard Of Oz, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Peter Pan, the Harry Potter series, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, The Phantom Tollbooth, Tideland, and many more. It's a difficult genre, as many of these stories are episodic, and wind up a treat for the eyes, but a disappointment for the mind and heart. Pan's Labyrinth, from the look of its early trailers, promised to apply a unique perspective.

Young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) accompanies her stepfather Capitán Vidal and mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to a remote outpost in Spain. Carmen is pregnant, but in the tradition of evil step-parents, he cares little for his wife or step-daughter, focusing completely upon his military manuvers and his soon-to-be-born son.

As you might imagine, Ofelia is a bookish dreamer, and it isn't long before she encounters fairies (disguised as large, chattering mantises) who lead her to the titular maze. There she learns from an ancient satyr that she may be the princess of an underground kingdom. In order to prover her worth, she needs to complete three tasks, each of which are hidden in a mysterious tome.

The civil war in Spain is over (for the most part), and for the time being the fascists have the upper hand. There's a band of insurgents sequestered in the woods, though, and the Capitán has taken it upon himself to stay until all of them are exterminated. In fact, he seems to see little value in human life in general, callously torturing and murdering anyone whom he suspects may be a rebel. The insurgents seem to know quite a bit about the outpost, so one of the main objectives is to discover where their information is coming from.

It's an interesting concept to intertwine these two ideas, but the execution is something else again. The film seems lopsided, heavily favoring the military informant plot over Ofelia's quest. It's a grim, gory exercise; Mr. Del Toro subjects the audience to a high degree of violence - several on-screen shootings (in the face), cheeks are slit open and later sewn shut, noses are battered to a pulp. Carmen's pregnancy is perilous, perpetually teetering on the brink of a bloody miscarriage; and if there's anything pretty in the film, you can be sure it'll be filthy and ruined soon enough. To be sure, this is in the tradition of many original fairy tales, which are far darker than their modern incarnations. While I'm all for grit in my storytelling, the filmmakers go so far here that it feels inappropriate and gratuitous.

This might have worked if the fantasy sequences functioned as an escape for Ofelia and the audience, as they do in its spiritual counterpart, Brazil. But they don't - they're more imaginative, but just as unnerving and disgusting. There's no real contrast in tone between the stories - in spite of the richness of visual invention, neither world seems inviting or attractive. None of the fantasy characters have much in the way of personality - they seem to exist primarily as thresholds to be encountered. There's not much to be gained by performing their tasks, either - Ofelia's experiences have little impact on her 'real' life, and any consequences of navigating the maze seem disconnected from the rest of the story.

Mr. Del Toro can have trouble with pacing, and it's a big problem here as well. The tone and intensity of the film are difficult enough, but it's also a two-and-a-half hour story that feels like three. Like many films these days, I think it'd be better told in two.

Ultimately, Pan's Labyrinth seems to be reaching for religious parable - a bludgeoning life of tears, with the promise of eternal reward. But it's not at all subtle with that goal, but rather a grueling journey with little to delight along the way.

Cynical Appraisal: Should do gangbusters with the Hot Topic crowd.

And The Remak - I Mean, Re-Imaginings, Go Marching On

VARIETY: 'Tarzan' on vine for Warner Bros.
Weintraub bringing character back to big screen
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Warner Bros. and producer Jerry Weintraub are bringing Tarzan back to the big screen.

The studio is developing a new take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs-created character. Studio is negotiating with Guillermo del Toro to direct.

John Collee, who wrote "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World" and most recently scripted the WB animated hit "Happy Feet," is negotiating to write the screenplay.

Weintraub will produce through his Jerry Weintraub Prods. banner.

In the years since Burroughs first introduced the loincloth-clad character in book form in 1914, Tarzan has headlined live action and animated films, as well as radio and TV shows.

Del Toro, who grew up reading Spanish-language translations of those books, feels that the classic themes are still compelling, and that there is new ground to cover in the Tarzan mythology by turning back to the original Burroughs prose.

"I'd love to create a new version that is still a family movie, but as edgy as I can make it," Del Toro said. "There are strong themes of survival of a defenseless child left behind in the most hostile environment."

Deals are still being worked out, but Del Toro sparked to the chance to collaborate with Collee.

"John will be writing it alone, as I'll be in production on 'Hellboy 2' and pursuing writing projects of my own," Del Toro said. "He's got a great sense of adventure and the wilderness."

Del Toro, whose new film "Pan's Labyrinth" opens Dec. 29, is repped by ICM and managed by Gary Ungar. Collee is repped by CAA.

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Well, I guess it's been over twenty years since the last live-action 'Tarzan' movie, so I guess we're due. Technically, this looks like the most recent version (and even this film's almost ten years old), but I'll look the other way if you will.