Guillermo del Toro is having a pretty damn good week. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which he co-wrote, arrives in theaters on Friday; today saw the release of both the first trailer and a new poster for his next directorial effort, Pacific Rim; and now one of his gestating production projects is heading further into development.
THR reports that Book of Life, formerly known as Day of the Dead, has been picked up by Fox Animation Studios and has already set an October 10, 2014 release date. The title change was motivated by the fact that Pixar Studios is already developing a project about Dia del los Muertos (the famous Mexican celebration also known as Day of the Dead) and the studio wants to avoid any confusion. The article doesn't mention who is writing the script, but Jorge R. Guiterrez has been hired to helm the project, his previous credits including the television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera. There is no plot description available at this time.
Book of Life is just one of the many producing projects del Toro has set up over the next few years. Right at the start of next year he will be bringing us the new feral child horror story Mama, but he also has a new version of Pinocchio in the works, another sequel in the Kung Fu Panda series, an Incredible Hulk television series for Marvel Studios, and director Rodrigo Blaas' animated fantasy Alma. He also recently announced that his next film will be a twist on the haunted house subgenre called Crimson Peak. What I'm trying to say is that he's going to be busy for quite a while.
