Guillermo del Toro is ready to make his “Roma,” or ‘Fabelmans,’ or whatever you want to call it. A detour into autobiographical cinema.
In an interview with the L.A. Times, del Toro confirms a desire to go back to his native Mexico and direct his first Spanish-language movie since “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which came out 20 years ago.
Not just that, he has an “idea” that isn’t his usual fantasy-genre fare. He hints it’s already been scripted in some form, and, judging by the way he describes the story, it might be the most personal film he’s ever made.
It’s a kidnapping scene from three points of view. The victim, the people doing the pickup, and another component that I will not reveal.
Hmm... I’m sure some of you know that del Toro’s late father, Federico, was famously kidnapped in Guadalajara in the late 1990s. What some of you might not know is how it got resolved.
It happened right in the middle of the “Mimic” shoot, a production del Toro has openly called a nightmare, when a ransom demand of roughly $1 million landed on his desk. The problem was that he didn’t have the dough, having sunk most of his own money into the film. Enter James Cameron. The two had become close friends, and when Cameron heard what happened, he reportedly went to the bank, pulled out the million himself, and handed it to del Toro, no strings attached. He also connected him with a professional negotiator to handle the exchange.
It took 72 days, but Federico was eventually released, while most of the kidnappers got away with the money. The ordeal shook del Toro so badly that he moved his family to the U.S. soon after, though his father, stubborn to the end, chose to stay in Mexico.
Does the last component that del Toro refuses to reveal have something to do with a filmmaker? The son of the victim? Is some version of himself going to be in the story? Or better yet, will James Cameron show up?
It’s honestly an insane story that absolutely deserves the cinematic treatment, and the best part is that it’ll involve no CGI and no fantasy elements, just del Toro’s raw chops as a filmmaker. I’m very much looking forward to it, and maybe it’ll come right after del Toro completes his animated Netflix film “The Buried Giant,” which is currently in production.
Now, for the million-dollar question: will it be any good? I will say that the film has tested very well, whatever that might mean these days.