Del Toro's DreamWorks Deal and Trollhunters, Jackson Fights Unions on Hobbit

by Sophia Savage
September 28, 2010 6:21 AM
2 Comments

- Guillermo del Toro, back from promoting two productions at the Toronto Film Festival--Julia's Eyes and Biutiful (the official Mexican submission for the foreign Oscar)--is now working closely as a consultant and exec producer with DreamWorks Animation. He will help out on Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and another TBA project as well as Trollhunters, which he will write and direct.

Del Toro tells THR that this relationship with DreamWorks is in line with his belief that increasingly over the next decade artists will need to be savvy in all forms of media. In a "transmedia" entertainment landscape, he says, "transmedia will not just be a buzzword." Trollhunters, which he has begun writing, is a scary genre story written for kids that "essentially combines fairy tales with modern times and is about how difficult it is to be kid. Normally, kids are idealized in animated films. But the growing pains, married with the notion that there is a world right next to us that is completely plagued by creatures of ancient lore, it's thematically fitting with the rest of my stuff."

Del Toro talked to TOH in Toronto about a wide range of upcoming projects as producer and/or director, including Julia's Eyes, Biutiful, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, The Hobbit, and James Cameron's Mountains of Madness.

- Now that Del Toro is off The Hobbit, Peter Jackson has taken charge and is fighting with unions in New Zealand - and he is threatening to leave the country now that actors unions are warning performers to stay away from the production. Losing The Hobbit would be a huge blow to New Zealand's film industry, which owes a lot to the Lord of The Rings franchise. Actors unions are upset, claiming non-union extras on the film are being offered no guarantees on wages or working conditions. Jackson believes the NZ branch of the Australian Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) is bullying the project and the country's film industry, in which they are trying to "gain a foothold." Jackson feels a "growing anger at the way this tiny minority is endangering a project that hundreds of people have worked on over the past two years, and the thousands about to be employed for the next four years" as well as the money that will be poured into the economy. Jackson says the project is being attacked "because we are a big fat juicy target" and not because they've done anything wrong. Some of the franchise's stars, however - Sir Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving - are reportedly participating in the boycott.

More: Directors, Franchises, Genres, Independents, Moguls, Studios, Daily Read, Media, Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, Sci-fi, Sequel, Fantasy, Animation, DreamWorks, Universal/Focus Features

2 Comments

| Reply
Sergio | September 28, 2010 12:12 PMReply

I've literally lost count on how many projects Del Toro is attached to as either director or a producer. He's a one man production company. Please tell me how does he do it? Why does everybody want to be in business with him? But he's got more projects in the pipeline than Cameron and Speilberg combined.

And believe me I'm not complaining. I want to see him make more movies
Dan | September 28, 2010 9:59 AMReply

Guillermo Del Toro is so fat. Hahaha. But I love him.

And I love Peter Jackson, too! Great man.

Del Toro's DreamWorks Deal and Trollhunters, Jackson Fights Unions on Hobbit

2 Comments

Email Updates

Monthly Archives

Most "Liked"

Around The Network

the network

indiewire

categories

Del Toro's DreamWorks Deal and Trollhunters, Jackson Fights Unions on Hobbit

2 Comments

Follow Me

Email Updates

Monthly Archives

Most "Liked"

Around The Network

the network

indiewire

categories