As we’re all well aware, Guillermo del Toro’s dream project is an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. The project had life for a short while at Universal before the studio shut it down (thanks to concerns about the budget and proposed R rating), which led del Toro to turn his attention to PACIFIC RIM. That film looks absolutely awesome, of course, so we may end up thanking Universal in the long run, but that doesn’t mean del Toro will never climb those daunting MOUNTAINS.
Out promoting his latest production, MAMA, del Toro gave hope to Lovecraftian beasts everywhere when he told The Playlist that he’s still hoping to get AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS off the ground. “I’m going to try it one more time. Once more into the dark abyss. We’re gonna do a big presentation of the project again at the start of the year and see if any [studio’s] interested.”
The director added that Tom Cruise is still attached. “I think it would be so fantastic to make it with him. He’s been such a great ally of the project.”
This is in stark contrast to the doom and gloom regarding the project that del Toro was dishing out back in May. Clearly, Guillermo just can’t let the Lovecraft tale go.
One would have to assume that the performance of PACIFIC RIM will play a major role in how eager studios are to give MOUNTAINS another look. Plus, del Toro (as always) has several other projects demanding his attention, including PACIFIC RIM 2, which could end up being a priority for Warner Bros. if part one hits box office gold.
For right now, we just have to keep on waiting for this MADNESS to commence.
MAMA star Jessica Chastain