Guillermo Del Toro Talks About Canceled 'Pinocchio' Movie
Guillermo Del Toro's stop-motion "Pinocchio" movie has officially been shelved. Now, the legendary director talks about his darker version of the little wooden boy that will never come to fruition.
"It's not happening," said Del Toro in an interview with IGN. "But the idea was to do 'Pinocchio' during the ascension of fascism in Italy, with Mussolini. It was a good time to discuss the idea of being a puppet or being a human, but you know, it's not in progress."
Pinocchio has been in various stages of development over the past decade with various names being attached to the production such as the Jim Henson Company and Mark Gustafson. However, the biggest hurdle for the film was financing, a common occurrence in Del Toro's project, as an estimated $35 million was needed to make the film, an amount movie studios aren't willing to shell out for a film about fascism.
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This news of the film's cancellation comes on the heels of the director announcing his year-long leave from director following the release of his latest passion project, "The Shape of Water." The film being shelved also comes after Del Toro said he is committed to making the film. Guess film studios aren't just into making a film about the rise of Italian fascism.
But it's really not that surprising given Del Toro's penchant for shepherding several small but intriguing projects. One example is his Beauty and the Beast adaptation, which was later ditched in favor of something Hollywood producers are more willing to give the green light to.
These include films such as "Crimson Peak" and "The Shape of Water," the latter of which garnered high praise from critics. The film's success also prompted Del Toro to helm "Fantastic Voyage" when he returns the success of which could lead to producers giving "Pinocchio" another chance, fans shouldn't hold their breath about it though.
