The Kidd here...
Any time I talk to one of our Ain't It Cool readers about the movies they're looking forward to this summer, three titles always come up: THE AVENGERS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and PROMETHEUS. While the first two are pretty standard, it's awesome to see how quickly fans have returned to the ALIEN series (we still don't know the full extent of its inclusion) now that Ridley Scott is back in the driver's seat... and complete with an R rating, too.
Sadly though, our enjoyment of PROMETHEUS may have come at a price, as, in order for us to reach this point, another geek property may have had to be sacrificed. That project may be Guillermo del Toro's AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS.
If you recall, del Toro was moving ahead with an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's novella with Tom Cruise attached before Universal pulled the plug amidst concerns that the budget was far too high for what would amount to an R-rated film. Well, del Toro may be putting his own kibosh on the picture moving forward, regardless of how much of a passion project it would be for him, because of how close the two films would be in some of their major elements.
Del Toro took to the boards of his official fansite DelToroFilms.com to explain his new stance on AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, and, if you were holding your breath that the film might eventually get back on track, it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon, if at all.
I have been interviewed about this lately and wanted to post my two cents about this:
Prometheus started filming a while ago- right at the time we were in preproduction on PACIFIC RIM. The title itself gave me pause- knowing that ALIEN was heavily influenced by Lovecraft and his novella.
This time, decades later with the budget and place Ridley Scott occupied, I assumed the greek metaphor alluded at the creation aspects of the HPL book. I believe I am right and if so, as a fan, I am delighted to see a new RS science fiction film, but this will probably mark a long pause -if not the demise- of ATMOM.
The sad part is- I have been pursuing ATMOM for over a decade now- and, well, fter Hellboy II two projects I dearly loved were not brought to fruition for me.
The good part is: One project did... And I am loving it and grateful for the blessings I have received.
What specifically though about PROMETHEUS has nixed AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS?
Same premise. Scenes that would be almost identical.
Want more details?
Both movies seem to share identical set pieces and the exact same BIG REVELATION (twist) at the end. I won't spoil it.
If you want to remain spoiler-free then on PROMETHEUS, stay the hell away from reading At The Mountains of Madness. While it's great that PROMETHEUS is coming, it definitely does suck that we were only able to get of these and not both.
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
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