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There was going to be a Jim Henson Company produced, Guillermo del Toro directed, and Mark Gustafson animated version of Pinocchio based on Gris Grimly's illustrations, but Frankenweenie ruined it. Tom Waits was even going to be Gepetto. This is why we can't have nice things.

The first full-length trailer for Pacific Rim has finally been released and it's basically everything you would want from director Guillermo del Toro's love letter to the kaiju and mecha genres: Giant robots and monsters beating the hell out of each other centered around a plot that involves... well, basically giant robots and monsters beating the hell out of each other. Okay, the plot may be a little on the thin side and paint-by-numbers, but in the long run, this is the kind of movie we wish existed back when we were five years old. Better late than never, we suppose.

Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's hallucinatory fairy tale of a family unravelling and a young girl's descent into insanity in the midst of the Spanish Civil War is being adapted into a musical for the stage. We really don't know what to say on this one, as there's not exactly a whole lot of words in that last sentence that exactly scream "song and dance routine" to us. Then again, what the heck do we know? This thing could end up being the next big Broadway smash -- like Annie, but with way more phantasmagoric monsters and people being shot.

DC Comics isn't nearly as organized about making movies as Marvel. They claim that they're going to make a Justice League movie by 2015, but as far as we know Disney has made more progress on the new Star Wars. While DC's uncertain future may be unfortunate for certain projects, it leaves the door open for other, less conventional projects. Guillermo Del Toro, creator of fantastically weird, dark films, may be looking to take advantage of the situation: According to io9, the Hellboy director has been talking to DC about making a movie based on Justice League Dark, the company's supergroup comprised of darker heroes from imprint Vertigo.

San Diego Comic-Con is always a time for big announcements, but few could be bigger than those surrounding the upcoming Godzilla reboot and Guillermo del Toro's giant robots vs. monsters movie Pacific Rim. Both feature baddies on an enormous scale, and both draw from a long tradition of Japanese cinema. They also sound really, really exciting.

Batman: Arkham City Trailer (GameTrailers) Mortal Kombat Trailer (GameTrailers) Thor: God of Thunder Trailer (GameTrailers) Guillermo Del Toro's Insane Trailer (GameTrailers) Resistance 3 Trailer (GameTrailers) Mass Effect 3 Trailer (GameTrailers) Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Trailer (GameTrailers)

What with all the preparation for the Rally to Restore Sanity in my mind, it's difficult to remember that Halloween, that most wonderful of holidays, is coming up just as quickly. This beautifully creepy little short should serve as a nice reminder. Written and directed by Rodrigo Blaas, Alma already won several awards in 2009. It's been thrust back into the limelight recently after the news that Guillermo del Toro will be producing a feature length adaptation.

It's for real now, no backsies: MGM has finally given the goahead on The Hobbit, a movie plagued by years of pre-production anguish, involving studio bankruptcy, labor disputes, a director search, and even fire. Well, the film is being given a budget of $500 million, Peter Jackson is directing, and according to The Coventry Telegraph, even MGM's financial problems can no longer get in the way:

MGM is finding its share of the project's funding from external sources and, if that fails, Warner Bros has pledged to step in and lend the money to MGM.

So the only thing left unmentioned by New Line Cinema's press release is whether the film will continue to be shot in New Zealand, where localized pre-production work (like the rebuilding of Hobbiton) has already begun; or if actors labor disputes will cause the production to move to Europe.

What superhero had a beloved but campy television show in the 70's, and then kinda fell off the non-comics radar until now, when a new show was announced to be in development? Well, Wonder Woman. And now the Hulk! According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Hulk is a priority at Marvel's television division, which has been running along quietly since Jeph Loeb took charge.

The very busy Guillermo del Toro, who is booked until 2017 over at Universal for film versions of Frankenstein, At The Mountains of Madness, and Slaughter-House Five recently took a moment to talk to MTV about his highly anticipated but still unannounced Hellboy III:

I would love to do it... but the heartbreak for me is that I know how it ends and I don't know if I want to see that ending. But I would love to do it.

Mysterious words from the most excellent director, but ScreenRant may have distilled the meaning for us.

Two things that have historically produced great films (though not exclusively great) are coming together, according to a recent unexpected announcement at Comic-Con in San Diego. Guillermo del Toro, director of the Hellboy films and Pan's Labyrinth , is going to direct a Disney ride-based film telling the tale of the Haunted Mansion. And as a fan of del Toro, the Haunted Mansion ride, and previous Disney-ride film Pirates of the Caribbean (though not the sequels), I am excited to see what madness will come about with this latest attraction.

Peter Jackson will very likely direct both parts of The Hobbit himself, according to Deadline New York. And their corroborating evidence looks solid:

[Jackson], Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens scheduled a trip to London the week of July 4, followed by a trip to Los Angeles the following week, to meet the most impressive actors who’ve been put on tape by casting directors... But if someone else was directing, wouldn’t that filmmaker be brought aboard before those casting decisions were made?

Deadline also pointed out that while several directors had expressed interest in the project, no announcement was made, perhaps indicating that Jackson was thinking over just doing the movies himself, the first choice for director, Guillermo del Toro, no longer has time to direct the many-times-delayed production. So, Peter Jackson is going to make The Hobbit. We're... actually kind of disappointed.

After Guillermo del Toro sadly vacated the director's seat for The Hobbit, there was rampant speculation over what his next project would be. As we reported previously, already on his plate are Frankenstein, At The Mountains of Madness, and Slaughter-House Five, but as Universal has del Toro on contract until 2017, who knows when any of these productions will ever manifest. That said, rumors are flying around lately about another upcoming project of his that may be in the works: Van Helsing.

At the beginning of this week we were saddened by the news that Guillermo del Toro will no longer be working on The Hobbit movie. Among other things, we were really looking forward to seeing his Mirkwood, and to watching Weta Workshop's triumphant return to Middle Earth. But we are comforting ourselves by imagining all the other projects he is now free to pursue. Below, we outline four of our Guillermo del Toro dream projects, and a few bonus projects that, you know, might actually happen.

In what will be seen as a heartbreaker by many fans and a major setback by the rest, Guillermo del Toro announced today that he will no longer be directing the Hobbit movie. Speaking to fan community TheOneRing.net, del Toro cited scheduling problems as his main reason for departing.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “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. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.