Guillermo Del Toro producing animated Day of the Dead

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

No, not a remake of George Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD (we’ve already had an awful one of those!)- Guillermo Del Toro is going after the Dia De Los Muertos.

Reel FX has announced they’re teaming with the amazing director to produce a CG-animated film with the DAY OF THE DEAD as the working title, that will show a “Romero and Juliet”-style love story with a Mexican Day of the Dead backdrop. Emmy Award winner Jorge R. Gutierrez (El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera) will direct from a script by Gutierrez and Emmy Award nominee Doug Langdale.

“We’re thrilled to have Guillermo on board for DAY OF THE DEAD,” said Brad Booker of Reel FX, who brought the project to the studio and is working as development executive. “As individuals, Guillermo and Jorge share a cultural background and love for Mexican folklore, which brings a palpable authenticity to our project; however, as artists, each brings to the picture a vastly different aesthetic sensibility. Working together for the first time, we feel that they bring a truly unique balance to the style and story of the film.”

Del Toro has an amazing track record of helping out smaller guys get their films made, and in finding interesting directors to work with. Notes del Toro, “I have admired Jorge’s work for a long time. He has a unique aesthetic and sense of humor. DAY OF THE DEAD offers a perfect opportunity for his sensibilities to shine. This is a colorful, vibrant, vital fable that utilizes the animation medium in an incredible way. The object of the tale is not only to talk about life but to dazzle us – jolt us- into living to the fullest. To join Reel FX, Cary Granat and Jorge in this adventure is a privilege and a joy.”

DAY OF THE DEAD is scheduled to be released in 2014. For now, Reel FX is working on both CG-animated and live action projects, including an adapation of the Dark Horse graphic novel “Beasts of Burden”, and a CG-animated comedy called TURKEYS which will be directed by Jimmy Hayward (HORTON HEARS A WHO!)