The Hulk that has never been: Guillermo del Toro reveals his dead plans

When a filmmaker as successful as Guillermo del Toro, an Oscar, writes a screenplay or is a TV pilot, it's hard to believe they might not succeed.

But according to tweets Monday, Oscar winner, is exactly what happens to the writer and director of Shape of Water. Many of the finalized del Toro scenarios – 17 in total – were either entirely written or co-written, but never went into production, languishing in the hell of development.

Del Toro finite but not produced scenarios include (deep breathing): The Witches, The Mountains of Madness, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Mephisto Bridge, Superstitious, Nightmarish Alley, Haunted Mansion, Drood, The Coffin and another scenario co-written with Twin peaks"Mark Frost).

Del Toro also wrote scripts for a Dark movie proposed by the Justice League, based on the supernatural superheroes of the DC comics, and a remake of the 1966 cult classic, Fantastic Voyage. He also wrote a sequel to his own Pacific Rim which was "very different" from the story that was actually used for the Pacific insurgency.

Del Toro's classic stories such as Beauty and the Beast and Wind in Willows have also been put on hold. There is even a scenario for a Marvel-based Hulk-based TV pilot that never saw the light of day.

Del Toro explained in follow-up tweets that these projects were not "maybes" or "wish list items", but completed scripts that took a year or more to complete. His scripts ranged from 90 to 130 pages. Keep in mind that usually a page equals a minute of time on the screen.

"Each scenario takes about a year, so more than a decade of lost work (in the case of" Mountains "a lot more, because we have spotted and designed etc.)," del Toro tweeted on Monday. "Each of them took months or years of my life.

It is not surprising that the projects can be suspended in the limbo of development, but what particularly intrigues in the Toro tweets, is the range of movies and TV screenplays that are not in the limelight. he has written – from horror to science fiction through the action of superheroes and classical literature.

As an unconditional fan of Del Toro, it is mind boggling for me to learn that I could have seen his version of the classic tale of Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo, or even a more version. scary Disney haunted merry-go-round.

Stories for beloved children like Beauty and the Beast or Wind in the Willows would have been exciting to see through the eyes of del Toro. Just look at his creations, Pan's Labyrinth and Trollhunters, to see how del Toro understands the magical effects of fairy tales on children and adults.

The horror imprint of Del Toro in his previous films Crimson Peak and The Strain proves that he could make Coffin and The Witches scary movies that deserve all their weight.

I would sell my soul to the devil just to see the vision of HP Lovecraft's story about the mountains of del Toro madness. Del Toro gave us mythical beasts in Hellboy's original films – just think of what he could do with Elder from Lovecraft Cthulhu.

But what really breaks my heart is that I could have been spoiled by a new Hulk television series created and written by del Toro.

As much as I like Marvel's current version of the green giant played by Mark Ruffalo, I wonder if the unique vision of del Toro would have turned the Avenger into anger into something deeper?

Although I may never know what might have been, there are at least some new movies and TV shows from the screenwriter-director to hope for. They include Pinocchio, the buried giant, Carnival Row, wizards and scary stories to tell in the dark … that is, they are not stuck in the hell of development.

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