Javier Botet to Star in Suretone Pictures & Lionsgate’s Adventure Horror Thriller “Creepers”

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Jeepers creepers, Javier Botet has a new role…

The 45-year-old Spanish actor has been cast in Suretone Pictures and Lionsgate’s adventure horror thriller Creepers.

Botet, often cast in creature roles, will star opposite Jake Manley, Adeline Rudolph, Francesca Reale, Laurence O’Fuarain, Nicholas Hamilton, Skylan Brooks and Kai Caster.

The film, which begins production this week in Bulgaria, is directed by music video and commercial filmmaker Marc Klasfeld.

Creepers follows a group of young urban explorers who plan to investigate an old, boarded-up, seemingly abandoned hotel, only to encounter danger at every turn in the form of a competing group of hostile urban explorers seeking to find a legendary hidden treasure – as well as a supernatural being who wreaks havoc on all.

Botet, who has Marfan Syndrome, will play the supernatural Pale Creature whose domain is the abandoned Paragon Hotel.

“We have assembled a truly amazing cast for Creepers who share the incredible passion of myself and Jordan to bring this one-of-a-kind horror-adventure story to life,” said Klasfeld. “After so many painstaking years in development to get our script right, to be completely honest, I find myself enormously excited to begin shooting.”

Added producer Jordan Schur, CEO and Chairman of Suretone Pictures, “We couldn’t have asked for a more outstanding cast or a more accomplished crew as we launch principal photography here in Bulgaria this week. Creepers is up and running with everyone amped, and it’s going to be quite the ride.”

Botet is a worldwide reference in horror and fantasy movies. Botet’s credits include It and It Chapter Two, Mama, Crimson Peak, The Conjuring 2, the first three films in the REC franchise, Witching and Bitching and Game of Thrones. His comedy credits include El vecino and Cámera Café and Golem.

del Toro to Receive Filmmaker Award from Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE)

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is getting a reel special honor…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker will receive the 2017 MPSE Filmmaker Award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE).

The organization will celebrate del Toro at the 64th annual Golden Reel Awards on February 19.

“Guillermo del Toro’s relentless imagination and energy provide inspiration to all of us in the entertainment industry,” MPSE president Tom McCarthy said in a statement. “He is constantly surprising, challenging and delighting audiences worldwide. We are extremely proud to recognize his contributions to our industry and culture with our Filmmaker Award.”

del Toro’s directing credits include Hellboy, Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak, Oscar winner Pan’s Labyrinth and the forthcoming The Shape of Water. Earlier in his career, he worked as a special-effects makeup designer. He also has produced such titles as Biutiful, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Book of Life and Puss in Boots.

“Texturally and narratively, sound and image fuse in the cinematic experience,” said del Toro. “I have spent as much time on the mixing board as I have on a stage, shooting or in a color-correction suite grading the final film. To paraphrase Mark Twain: ‘The difference between the almost right sound and the right sound ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.’ I am thus delighted and honored to receive this award from my colleagues and partners in the storytelling experience.”

del Toro to Direct Untitled Supernatural Romance for Fox Searchlight

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro’s next project is taking Shape…

The 51-year-old Mexican filmmaker will direct an untitled supernatural romance for Fox Searchlight with Michael Shannon is in talks to star.

The project, rumored to be titled The Shape of Water, is set in 1963 with Shannon playing the villain of the story. A mute laboratory worker, to be played by Sally Hawkins, falls in love with an amphibious man who’s being held captive.

Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer and Michael Stuhlbarg will co-star.

del Toro is directing and producing with Callum Greene, who worked with him on both Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak.

del Toro to Direct & Produce a Cold War Drama for Fox Searchlight

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is going off to war…

The 51-year-old Mexican filmmaker is set to direct and produce an untitled Cold War drama from Fox Searchlight.

It’s described as a mysterious and magical otherworldly love story set in 1963 America. J.Miles Dale will produce with del Toro.

Sally Hawkins is set to star in the film, and Octavia Spencer is in talks to join the cast.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim filmmaker is developing and might direct Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark for CBS Films, based on the book trilogy by Alvin Schwartz.

del Toro Partners with Legendary Entertainment & YouTube Spaces for a Horror Talent Search

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro is ready to welcome new talent into his House of Horrors…

Legendary Entertainment will combine a talent hunt with promotion of the 49-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s upcoming horror film Crimson Peak.

The contest has been announced in concert with Google’s YouTube Spaces, which provide production and post-production facilities for YouTube creators in four big cities.

As part of the deal, Gothic-horror sets “inspired by” del Toro’s work on Crimson Peak will be installed in YouTube Spaces in Los Angeles, Tokyo, London and the soon-to-open New York locale. The sets will vary by site, but are billed as the sorts of creepy backdrops worthy of any Gothic horror film, including “a Great Room from an old manor house,” “a sinister staircase and Gothic windows that lead out to a haunted garden,” and “an abandoned Solarium cluttered with over-grown plants, birdcages and weathered tools.”

YouTube creators at each site will be invited to make video shorts with horror themes using the sets between September 22 and October 28. The videos will go live between October 21 and Halloween, and will run on each creator’s YouTube site along with the channels for YouTube Spaces and Legendary.

del Toro will pick the best videos from each site, and consult with the creators on further fine-tuning.

Legendary will offer a development deal to the creator behind the best resulting short to further flesh out their project into a possible film. If it all works, Legendary could find a ultra-low-budget creator similar to Jason Blum, whom Universal recently signed to a long-term deal after a lucrative run of cheap and extremely profitable horror pics.

Here’s a video of del Toro introducing the YouTube House of Horrors project:

del Toro Eyeing Benedict Cumberbatch for “Frankenstein” Role

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has set his sites on a Star Trek-sized leading man for his next big project…

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker divulged that he’d like to direct British actor Benedict Cumberbatch in his reimaging of Frankenstein, which is currently slated for release in 2015.

Cumberbatch recently garnered rave reviews for his portrayal of Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, in which he starred opposite Zoë Saldaña.

del Toro’s Frankenstein project has been in the works since 2009, and he hasn’t attached any cast yet. Considering that he’s wanted Hellboy actor Doug Jones to play the monster for years, Cumberbatch would most likely portray Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the role he already played in the 2011 stage production of Frankenstein directed by Danny Boyle.

del Toro will work with Cumberbatch in Crimson Peak, the upcoming horror thriller from Universal Pictures. Set for release in April 2015, the film will also star Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska.

del Toro is currently busy promoting Pacific Rim, which opened this Friday, on July 12.

del Toro Lands All-Star Cast for His Next Film “Crimson Peak”

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has rounded out an A-list ensemble for his next film…

The 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker has cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessica Chastain, Emma Stone and Charlie Hunnam in his haunted house thriller Crimson Peak for Legendary Pictures.

The film – the next movie to be directed by del Toro after helming the highly anticipated Pacific Rim, which comes out later this year – and is set to begin shooting in January 2014.

del Toro, who originally wrote the ghost story script with collaborator Matthew Robbins for Universal Pictures, is having Lucinda Coxon rewrite the script.

del Toro previously told Deadline.com that Crimson Peak is best described as “a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules.”

Legendary will produce the film and be a participating financing partner, with Universal retaining an option to finance at a later date.

Meanwhile, del Toro’s Pacific Rim is due out July 12 via Warner Bros.

del Toro to Produce New Film Version of “The Secret Garden”

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro’s Secret project apparently has Universal appeal…

The 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s latest project as a producer, a new film version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel The Secret Garden, has been acquired by Universal Pictures.

The film’s script will be written by Lucy Alibar, who earned an Oscar-nomination for co-writing Beasts Of The Southern Wild. She’s expected to work closely with del Toro on the script.

In The Secret Garden, an orphaned girl is sent to live with her reclusive uncle and discovers a hidden garden containing magical secrets. This project will take on its own original path from other stage and screen adaptations seen in recent years. Rumor has it the film will be set in the American South at the turn of the 20th Century.

The last major adaptation of The Secret Garden was the 1993 Agnieska Holland-directed film for Warner Bros.

There had been a lot of interest in the project with the hope that del Toro would direct, but he’s so been too busy with his other projects, including preparing to release his latest film Pacific Rim this summer and working on a sequel, developing his critically acclaimed film Pan’s Labyrinth into a stage musical, and helming the haunted house film Crimson Peak. In addition, he’s set to direct the pilot for an FX series adaptation of The Strain, the apocalyptic vampire novel.

del Toro Looking to Cast Emma Stone for “Crimson Peak”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Guillermo del Toro has set his sights on a new leading lady…

The Amazing Spider-Man’s Emma Stone is in talks to star in the 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker’s latest project Crimson Peak.

Stone is still in early negotiations to join the haunted house thriller, according to Variety. It’s still unclear what Stone would tackle as the movie’s plot details are still being kept under wraps.

In addition to directing the film, del Toro will write the script along with Lucinda Coxon.

Crimson Peak will mark del Toro’s return to horror film genre following his work on the sci-fi action flick Pacific Rim.

Further details of the project are still scarce, but it is said that the Hellboy helmer is looking at a February 2014 start date for the project.

del Toro recently served as the executive producer for Andres Muschietti‘s horror film Mama, which stars Jessica Chastain. The film will open in theaters this Friday, January 18.

del Toro Developing “Pan’s Labyrinth” for Broadway…

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

He’s already conquered Hollywood with films like Hellboy and the highly anticipated Pacific Rim… And now Guillermo del Toro is setting his sights on the Great White Way…

The 48-year-old Mexican filmmaker is developing his award-winning film Pan’s Labyrinth as a Broadway musical.

del Toro has already reportedly written a book for the stage version of the 2006 Mexican dark fantasy film, which centers on the young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer who finds refuge and terror in a fantasy world in 1944 Fascist Spain.

Paul Williams has just signed on to write the lyrics, while Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla is writing the music.

del Toro has been working quietly on the stage version of the film for four years, interviewing directors, librettists and composers.

del Toro, Williams and Santaolalla are also currently working on the music for the del Toro-produced animated film Day of The Dead, currently in the advanced stages of production.

“I admire and love Gustavo and Paul wrote the perfect album in Phantom Of The Paradise, which I have loved for decades,” said del Toro, who just wrapped Pacific Rim for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. and who’ll next direct the haunted house tale Crimson Peak.

“I’m so excited about translating Guillermo’s magical vision into music and songs,” said Santaolalla. “I’m such a longtime fan of both Guillermo and Paul that to work on this with them is truly a dream come true.”

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