Trailer for 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'

Crrrreeeeeeeeppppyyy is the word to use here! The new trailer for the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror thriller "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" has arrived online, and it sure looks damn scary. Definitely something I'm looking forward to see. But not until Aug. 26, 2011. See the trailer below.

The story? A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own. Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison (good actress, but she annoyed the heck out of me in "Just Go with It") star.

Guillermo del Toro co-wrote the script, and Troy Nixey directed. I have to say this again: "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" looks very promising. It opens in theaters Aug. 26, 2011.

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Rodrigo Blaas' 'Alma' short gets feature treatment

Rodrigo Blaas' animated short film "Alma" could be getting the feature film treatment at DreamWorks Animation, where he is negotiating a deal to direct the project, with Guillermo del Toro producing.

The cute short, which you can watch below, focuses on a little girl who enters a toy store and finds a doll that looks just like her. Blaas wrote and helmed the short, and he would do the same for the feature.

Blaas, whoe will also work on "Trollhunters," is certainly not new to the world of animation, because he worked as animator on "Up," "Wall-E," "Ratatouille," "Cars" and even "Ice Age." (Source: THR)

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Guillermo del Toro readying 'Trollhunters'

Guillermo del Toro originally planned to set up his "Trollhunters" project at Disney, but the filmmaker has decided to team up with DreamWorks Animation instead. He will write and direct the film there.

The cool thing is that Del Toro will be involved with numerous projects at DreamWorks Animation, but "Trollhunters" is his entirely. It is based on a young adult novel he recently submitted to a publisher.

"It essentially combines fairy tales with modern times and is about how difficult it is to be kid. Normally, kids are idealized in animated films," he told The Hollywood Reporter. Not start date has been set.

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Guillermo del Toro to direct 'The Haunted Mansion'

Surprise! Guillermo del Toro showed up at Comic-Con to surprise the folks in attendance, and he announced he'll be producing and directing a reboot of "The Haunted Mansion" for Walt Disney Pictures.

This is certainly big news. Del Toro recently dropped the directing gig for "The Hobbit," and people were wondering what he would tackle next. Del Toro is also developing a new "Van Helsing" flick.

The other good news is that the new "Haunted Mansion," which is based on Disney's theme park ride, will have no connection to the awful Eddie Murphy comedy we had to sit through a few years ago.

The new "Mansion" will head into a different direction, and it will be scary, Del Toro said. Sounds great so far. The film will also be shot in 3D, and that's the more annoying part. Other than that: cool surprise!

Guillermo del Toro developing new 'Van Helsing'

Let's all hope this is true. Apparently, Guillermo del Toro is developing a brand-new "Van Helsing" movie. Not a remake or sequel... just a whole new fresh start. Word is Universal Studios is backing the project.

Pajiba reports Del Toro is prepping a treatment for the flick. Also, now that he's not directing "The Hobbit" anymore, Del Toro may find the time to direct the new "Helsing." I sincerely hope he will.

"Van Helsing" arrived on the big screen via Stephen Sommers in 2004, and I admit I am among those not loving the flick. It wasn't a complete disaster in my book, but I wouldn't mind seeing a better one.

Del Toro is still working on "The Hobbit" scripts, and he's busy producing some upcoming flicks as well. But now that he does not yet have his next directing gig locked in, this may be on the list. We'll see...

What? Guillermo del Toro drops 'The Hobbit'

To tell you the truth, I doubt we will ever see "The Hobbit" on the big screen. I'm joking, of course, but then again, the project has hit several bumps already. Now comes the big one: Guillermo del Toro is out!

Okay, he's not entirely out, but he told TheOneRing.Net he won't be directing the film ("The Hobbit: Part 1" is supposed to open in 2012). That said, del Toro will continue to work on the screenplays, that's for sure.

“After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures," del Toro told TheOneRing.Net.

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Guillermo del Toro gives 'Hobbit' 3D update

The film version of "The Hobbit" has been in the news for a while now, but one thing is for certain: it's still rather unclear when the film will really start shooting. A release for "The Hobbit: Part 1" was set for December 2011, but the film could as well open in 2012.

Anyway, director Guillermo del Toro recently offered fans an update on where things are in terms of releasing "The Hobbit" in 3D. Rumors about this surfaced a while ago, and while it seemed they wouldn't go ahead with 3D at first, nothing is decided yet.

Del Toro posted this on TheOneRing.net: "I wouldn't read much on it just yet, but now, after all this time, after AVATAR doing the Box Office it did, we have had [enquiries] from above about The Hobbit being in 3-D. No impositions or heavy leaning. Just enquiries."

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Mark Pellington will direct 'Orphanage' remake

Spanish hit horror thriller can't escape remake; director found for new version

As you may know already, Juan Antonio Bayona's excellent horror flick "The Orphanage" (El orfanato) will get the Hollywood remake treatment (as sad as it is), and Mark Pellington is now officially in negotiations to direct the new version.

Last thing I heard, Larry Fessenden was set to helm the project, but Variety now says Pellington is in talks for the job. Fessenden co-wrote the script for the remake with Guillermo del Toro, who also produced the original film.

The original film focuses on Laura (Belen Rueda), whose dream of reopening the orphanage she grew up in is in jeopardy when her 7-year-old son starts playing mysterious fantasy games with an invisible friend.

As far as Pellington is concerned, his directing credits include "Arlington Road," "The Mothman Prophecies" (which I really enjoyed) and more recently, "Henry Poole Is Here."

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'The Hobbit' filming delayed, no green light yet

It now looks like Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro will have to delay filming for the upcoming epic adventure "The Hobbit." At least that's what Jackson said at a press conference for "The Lovely Bones."

So, what's going on? According to German site moviereporter.net, Jackson said they may have to push back filming from March 2010 to some time in the summer. Plus, they haven't received green light yet.

Jackson said the script for "The Hobbit: Part 1" is done, and right now, they are working on the second, which they hope will be done by the end of this year or the beginning of 2010.

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Disney goes creepy with Guillermo del Toro

Walt Disney Studios and acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro are joining forces to create the "Disney Double Dare You" production label, which will focus on creating animated films stuffed with chills and thrills.

Del Toro will keep an eye on all the productions going through the label, and he plans to direct some of the films as well. "Trollhunters" is the title of the first project Double Dare You will handle, and del Toro is on board to produce.

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