Disney Teams Up With Guillermo Del Toro – is this how Dr. Strange will appear?
Put the pieces together: Guillermo Del Toro was talking with Neil Gaiman about doing a Dr. Strange film as far back as February 2008. Now Del Toro is cutting a deal with Disney… and Disney now owns Marvel, which of course is the home of the good Doctor. Sounds like the stars are aligning… but we already had a recent animated Doctor Strange…
Press release via Nikki Finke: Disney Toons Up With Guillermo Del Toro Under “Disney Double Dare You” Label
Anaheim, California — September 11, 2009 — The Walt Disney
Studios, in collaboration with acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro
(“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Hobbit”), is launching a new production label
called Disney Double Dare You, to create new animated films full of
chills and thrills for audiences of all ages, it was announced today at
the D23 Expo by Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. All
films will be produced under the guidance of del Toro, who originated
the concept and the design of DDY and who will also direct certain
projects. The first project in development for the new label is called
“Trollhunters,” an original del Toro story which he will produce.
Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, “Guillermo is a brilliant
and visionary filmmaker, and we’re excited to be launching this new
label with him. His knowledge and appreciation for Disney films, along
with his penchant for creating worlds of fantasy, presented a great
opportunity for us to explore a whole new genre of filmmaking for
moviegoers of all ages. We have admired Guillermo’s imaginative
approach to filmmaking for some time, and now we’re proud to be working
with him to create films full of imaginative delights and lots of
thrills at the same time.”
Del Toro added, “As a director, I love to take audiences into
fantastic new worlds and provide them with some anxious moments in the
process. It is part of the Disney canon to create thrilling,
unforgettable moments and villains in all their classic films. It is my
privilege for DDY to continue in this tradition. To partner up with The
Walt Disney Studios, with the support of Dick Cook and John Lasseter,
is to belong to a storytelling partnership that I admire deeply. It is
a true honor. I look forward to coming up with fresh and original
stories that will take Disney films in a whole new direction. The
emphasis is on fun, and we have some great ideas already on the
storyboards.”
Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth received six Academy Award® nominations
in 2007, including one for his original screenplay, and went on to win
three awards. That film also received a BAFTA Award for Best Film not
in the English language. His other directing credits include “Hellboy,”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Cronos,” and
“Mimic,” among others. Del Toro is currently directing back-to-back
feature film adaptations of the Tolkien classic, “The Hobbit,” for
release in 2011 and 2012.
(Hat tip to Arne Starr for the art, and Patrick Dempsey for the modeling.)