Guillermo del Toro Confirms THE SHAPE OF WATER Will Be an R-Rated Fairy Tale Movie
Everything that I've heard about Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water has been fascinating. For the most part, Del Toro is known for his horror movies, but he doesn't consider his next film project to be a horror film. He recently confirmed on Twitter that The Shape of Water will be rated R and that it will tell a fairy tale story. Here are the tweets!
So- "R" it is!
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 2, 2017
No. The Shape of Water is NOT a horror movie. It's a bit of a fairy tale story - a fable set in early 1960's America.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) May 2, 2017
The film has been described as an “other-worldly love story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963.” It’s also said to be a “mysterious and magical journey.” When I think of a Del Toro fairy tale film, I immediately think of Pan's Labyrinth. Even though it had dark horror-like elements, the story was definitely in the fairy tale fantasy realm. If the movie is anything like that, I think fans should be crazy excited.
Del Toro's last film Crimson Peak didn't really do very well, which is a shame because I actually really loved the gothic, horror/thriller. I hope this next film of his does a lot better. Even after the movie flopped, I like that it didn't scare him away from jumping right back into R-rated territory.
The movie has an incredible cast which includes Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine, Happy-Go-Lucky), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, 99 Homes), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Doug Jones (Crimson Peak, Hellboy), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Steve Jobs), and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Gifted).
Jones previously talked about the film and shed some additional light on the story saying:
“It’s not a sci-fi [film], it’s not a genre film, but I am a creature in it. I’m a fish man that’s kind of a one-off. I’m an enigma, nobody knows where I came from; I’m the last of my species so I’m like a natural anomaly. And I’m being studied and tested in a U.S. government facility in 1963, so the Russian Cold War is on, the race for space is on, so there’s all that backdrop and that undercurrent. I’m being tested for how can they use me for advantages in military or space travel, or my technology—can we make this usable for humans? So they’re trying to keep me a secret from the Russians.”
He goes on to offer additional details for the film, saying:
"My character is... even if I'm not in every scene, they're talking about me when I'm not there. I am the focal point of the whole movie. They're all having interactions because of me. It is one of the most gorgeous stories I have ever been a part of. And it was filmed beautifully. The art direction for the era - the cars, the clothes, the hair, the sets - it's very Del Toro and very gorgeous.
"Our central character is Sally Hawkins who plays a very sympathetic character, a woman you're just going to fall in love with. What she goes through... you're going to be rooting for her every step. It's a classic Del Toro movie where we root for an underdog in very impossible circumstances, and I'm a part of all of that in a very, very integral way. So without giving it all away, I think I just gave it all away."
From what you know about Del Toro's The Shape of Water, are you excited about it?