Guillermo del Toro is set to direct the Universal Pictures film At the Mountains of Madness. Deadline Hollywood reports that Del Toro will helm the adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of the same name with James Cameron as a producer. The story focuses on a fateful trip to the South Pole in the 1930s.
Like most other modern projects with an action-adventure undertone, this film will be shot in 3D. What makes this more than just another 3-D film announcement, however, is Academy Award-winning director Cameron's involvement. The film is said to begin pre-production within the next several weeks, with shooting schedule sometime next summer.
Del Toro is a fantastic choice for “Madness.” The source material itself is dark (it is H.P. Lovecraft, after all), and he surely knows how tell a fantastic, dark story. Take a look at his 2006 masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth. It has been tagged as a fairy tale for adults with very good reason. In 2008, he proved that he hadn’t lost his touch for dark storytelling with the critically acclaimed Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Cameron normally doesn’t produce films that he hasn’t written or directed, and he has before said that he won’t involve himself with too many 3-D movies, so his involvement with “Madness” is quite interesting. He has always been on the cutting edge of filmmaking, taking audiences on an incredible visual journey in Titanic and arguably mastering the capabilities of 3-D technology with Avatar. It is unknown as to how much if any artistic control he will have on “Madness,” but his name brings much prestige to the project.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army marked Del Toro’s last appearance in the director’s seat. He most recently was confirmed to be involved with an upcoming Haunted Mansion reboot for Disney. Meanwhile, Cameron’s last project, Avatar, won three Academy Awards and became the highest-grossing film ever. This one-two punch of creative talents makes "Madness" worth keeping an eye on as production begins.
