Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim isn't going to be in theaters until July, but already we're getting excited for the filmmaker's next big project. Back in December it was announced that the director's next gig would be the new haunted house flick Crimson Peak, and while it's been said that the movie will work to break conventions of the genre while playing with both classic and modern elements, details about the story have been kept to a minimum, with del Toro playing the whole thing close to the chest. And while he's still not ready to show his hand, he is at the very least giving us a peek at his cards.
Total Film recently got to speak with del Toro for the latest issue of their magazine, and when the conversation turned to the new horror flick a few new details about the project were delivered. Confirming that the movie will indeed be his follow up to the giant monsters vs. giant robots blockbuster that it Pacific Rim, the director wouldn't reveal any specifics about the plot of his next endeavor, but did mention that there will be two different settings and will be a period film set at the "turn of the century" (presumably the start of the 20th). "Half of the movie takes place in America, and the other half takes place in a crumbling mansion in Cumbria," del Toro said to the site. "And basically it’s a ghost story and gothic romance, trying to subvert the rules of the usual gothic romance."
Expounding on that point, he added said that Crimson Peak will have two different tones, with the second half of the story entering into shadier territory than the first. "The first half is a love story, then that love story turns darker, he said. "And it’s at the same time a ghost story. I’m working at this moment with Lucinda Clarkson who is a really great playwright from the UK. She has the proper degree of perversity and intelligence to turn it into something interesting to watch." Nothing has been officially confirmed by the studio yet, but previous reports have said that del Toro has been talking to both Emma Stone and Charlie Hunnam about the project. Could they be the couple at the heart of the love story?
The director also added that he and writer Travis Beacham are already working on a sequel to Pacific Rim (as was also reported back in December), though they are taking time with that particular project and making sure that it's up to snuff. Said del Toro, "We want to take however long it takes to really find out the idea and try to bridge something that really makes the mythology roll...The great thing about Legendary is they’re willing to take it to completion in the right way. They’re giving us the leeway. Imagine that we’re generating the comic book. We’re learning more about the [Pacific Rim] world we’re creating day by day."
