Director Guillermo del Toro recently shared his thoughts on Godzilla Minus One, which he calls a “superb” film. One of the things that struck him most was the fact that it was a period film set in the aftermath of World War II, and it inspired him to open up about his experiences trying to pitch a period genre film in Hollywood. As you might imagine, studio executives were not interested in that. Del Toro shared on X:
A little memory: Watching the superb GODZILLA MINUS ONE, I was first impressed that It was a period piece. Necessarily so. I remembered my early days, when Mark Frost and I developed LIST OF 7 for Universal. When we presented it, they said – ‘But- this is Victorian…’ To which I, of course, agreed, and the said: ‘But shot in a modern way, with mood and great action!’ and received the reply: ‘People don’t care for period pieces.’
The project he is talking about here is The List of Seven, which would have been an adaptation of Mark Frost’s 1993 novel of the same name.
Set in Victorian England, the story follows the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous author of Sherlock Holmes, as he becomes embroiled in a series of mysterious and deadly events. Doyle teams up with Jack Sparks, a brilliant and enigmatic detective, to unravel a complex conspiracy involving a secret society known as the List of 7. As they delve deeper into the intrigue, they uncover dark secrets, supernatural elements, and a web of intrigue that threatens their lives and the course of history itself. Mark Frost’s novel combines historical fiction, mystery, and elements of the supernatural to create a gripping and suspenseful tale. Del Toro continued:
To which I replied: ‘What about Raiders of the Lost Ark?’ They validated my parking. This was circa 1995 or so. My brave executives were Carr D’Angelo and Barry Josephson, I believe. Ah, so many good ones that will never get made… Barry and Carr both WHOLEHEARTEDLY supported the film – it was upper management that nixed it. I was being entirely unironic- We tried for years.
That would’ve been a great movie! It’s a shame that a lot of people with no creative vision are running Hollywood. I mean, just look at that silly Godzilla v Kong movie that’s coming out! You’d think the studio executives and the filmmakers have never seen a Godzilla movie before.
Anyway, Del Toro has managed to make some period films in his career such as The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Nightmare Alley. He;’s also finally getting to make his Frankenstein film! However, some of his film pitches still get rejected! He previously called the moviemaking process “frustratingly difficult” and likened it to “eating a sandwich of shit.”