I can’t even imagine how busy Guillermo Del Toro must be. Whether or not he’s actually working on something is up for debate, but it has been widely reported that he has several projects in line, such as Crimson Peak, the much anticipated Justice League Dark (which has been called Heaven Sent and Dark Universe as well), and fans simply don’t want give up on him directing the final entry in the Hellboy franchise. Despite speculation that Del Toro is all booked up for the next decade or so, the Mexican filmmaker is working with HBO on an adaptation of the manga Monster, which he will write with Steve Thompson (Sherlock) and direct the pilot episode of.
Deadline (via ComicBookMovie) says the story is “about the worldwide search by a young doctor for the most evil sociopath that has ever lived. He is a 12-year old boy, and the doctor’s decision to save his life has unwittingly unleashed a Pandora’s Box that leaves the doc battling to stop a plot of mass genocide.” While the plot synopses doesn’t sound bad at all (and totally seems like the kind of material the aforementioned director would be comfortable working with), we should not forget that Del Toro is infamous for naming several projects he’s supposedly working on, yet ultimately pursuing none.
We’re quite skeptical about this, but it has barely anything to do with Del Toro’s busy schedule. In the last couple of years, there have been many reports of high-profile filmmakers and actors being somehow involved in the production of several adaptations of anime series and manga. Remember Zac Effron saying he met with some executives to discuss a film adaptation of the anime Full Metal Panic!? Have we forgotten that Keanu Reeves was allegedly close to starring in a live-action version of Akira? And what happened to Hellsing? Trigun? Neon Genesis Evangelion? It seems Hollywood does not take Japanese animation all that seriously. We’re hoping HBO and Del Toro’s collaboration on Monster doesn’t go to waste.