DirectorGuillermo del Torohas recently revealed why hisPinocchioproject isn’t happening anymore. The iconic director’s latest movie,The Shape of Water, is riding high off of critical acclaim, but it appears thatPinocchiowill not be able to get a shot at the same sort of buzz. Del Toro had been trying to make the movie for over 10 years and as recently as the end of August, the director was still working on it, looking for financing, but it appears that he wasn’t able to find the proper funding because people just weren’t into seeing his dark take on the character.
Guillermo del Toro recently sat down with IGN to discuss hisTrollhuntersNetflix series and confirmed thatPinocchiois definitely not happening. When asked about thelong-awaited project, del Toro was blunt. The director had this to say.
“It’s not happening. But the idea was to do Pinocchio during the ascension of fascism in Italy, with Mussolini. It was a good time to discuss the idea of being a puppet or being a human, but you know, it’s not in progress.”
The news also comes after del Toro announced that he will be taking a year off afterThe Shape of Water hits theaters, which is a shame because his idea forPinocchiois very timely and probably would have been excellent and thought provoking.
Pinocchio, as envisioned by Guillermo del Toro, wasn’t going to be the charmingDisney fairy talemost viewers know and love. The director was planning a stop-motion reimagining set during the rise of Mussolini. Del Toro admitted that making an anti-fascistPinocchiowas always going to be a struggle to get funded, even if he already has the puppets and designs ready to go. The director explains.
“When I announced Pinocchio I got many calls: “Yeah but it’s set during the rise of Mussolini, it’s an anti-fascist Pinocchio.” (mimes they all hung up)”
Guillermo del Toro has also recently come forward to say thatThe Shape of Wateris hisfavorite movie that he’s ever worked on, and that’s really saying something. The movie doesn’t even come out until December and its already making waves and raising eyebrows about a fish monster sex scene. The director calls the new movie very personal and claims that it’s, “my favorite movie that I’ve done.” When talking about theCold War fairy tale, the director has emphasized many times that it’s an “antidote” to the current moment and wants to promote hope.
The exciting prospect of seeing a dark stop-motion version ofPinocchiomay not be happening, but we at least haveThe Shape of Waterto look forward to. And who knows, maybeThe Shape of Waterwill crush at the box office and pave the way forPinocchio, but at this time, the project is dead and Guillermo del Toro is taking a year off to figure out his next steps. you’re able to read more about Guillermo del Toro’s abortedPinocchioproject viaIGN.
