Guillermo Del Toro Might Go On A ‘Fantastic Voyage’ With James Cameron
It’s been a couple of years since we last heard aboutFantastic Voyage, which means we’re due for another update on the long-gestatingJames Cameronproject. And this one is definitely worth the wait.
Guillermo del Torois looking to direct the remake of the 1966 sci-fi adventure, which is set up at 20th Century Fox with Cameron producing through Lightstorm Entertainment. Del Toro, you’ll recall, has a wide-open schedule now thatPacific Rim 2has beenhalted indefinitely. But don’t worry, there’s a small, potentially positive update aboutPacific Rim 2here, too.THRreports del Toro has entered talks to helmFantastic Voyage, which is envisioned as an “event-sized tentpole.“David Goyerwrote the treatment and the script, and will work with del Toro to further develop the script. Goyer and del Toro previously worked together onBlade II.Fantastic Voyageis also a reunion for del Toro and Cameron, who tried to mount an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’sAt the Mountains of Madnesstogether.
The originalFantastic Voyagewas a Cold War adventure about a team of scientists who shrink themselves down to atomic size and enter a man’s body to try and save his life. That premise may sound familiar even if you’ve never seenFantastic Voyage, as it’s been parodied and riffed on countless times including in shows likeFuturama,Family Guy, andArcher. Joe Dante’sInnerspacewas also inspired by it.
TheFantastic Voyagereboot has been in development for several years, with Cameron signing on about ten years ago.Roland Emmerich,Paul Greengrass,Louis Leterrier, andShawn Levyhave all been linked to the project at various points. Before Goyer, Marianne and Cormac Wibberly, Shane Salerno, Laeta Kalogridis, and Cameron himself all took turns trying to crack the screenplay.
Del Toro was originally planning to follow upCrimson PeakwithPacific Rim 2, due out in 2017, but Universal hit the brakes last fall. As of now there’s no word on if or when progress will resume onPacific Rim 2. The answer might be never. However, THR offers a small glimmer of hope. You see, Chinese conglomerate Dailan Wanda Group isabout to acquire a majority stakein Legendary Entertainment. And while the originalPacific Rimtanked in the U.S., it did big business in China. A sequel seems somewhat more plausible once you look at the Chinese box office numbers.
ButifaPacific Rimsequel happens, it’s probably still a ways off.Fantastic Voyagelooks likely to be del Toro’s next project as of now. No release date has been set as of yet. While we wait, revisit the trailer for the originalFantastic Voyagebelow.
And here’s a promo for theArcherversion, because why not?
