ThatMonsterpocalypsemovie is back in a big way. Hollywood has been trying to adapt the board game of the same name for some time now, withTim Burtonand hisBig FishscribeJohn Augustteaming up back in 2010, but that iteration stalled in development whenGuillermo del Toro’sPacific Rimgot off the ground. You see,Monsterpocalypsehas a very similar premise in that it revolves around humans in robot suits fighting monsters. WhenPacific Rimgot the jump, Burton’s own humans-fighting-kaiju movie fell apart. However, the project is now back with a vengeance, and it hasFede Alvarez—who helmed 2013’s solidEvil Deadremake—set to take the helm.
PerTHR, a bidding war is underway between Warner Bros., DreamWorks, and Sony to acquire thisMonsterpocalypsepackage, which has Alvarez set to direct and co-write with his writing partnerRodo Sayagues. Alvarez and Sayagues’ take is apparently decidedly different from the one that Burton was developing, further distancing the project fromPacific Rim. [Update:THRreports that Warner Bros. has won the bidding war with a mid-six figure against seven figure buy-in for just the movies rights and writing; the studio is currently in final negotiations for the total package.]
Speaking of which, while del Toro was set to helmPacific Rim 2for a 2017 release, Universal and Legendary subsequently put the sequel on hold to address story issues. Del Toro then stepped back to simply produce the film while he moved on to other projects, and while the blockbuster follow-up has now gainedDaredevilshowrunnerSteven S. DeKnightas its director, it doesn’t yet have a release date.
Which means that it’s possibleMonsterpocalypsecould be fast-tracked for release beforePacific Rim 2hits theaters. Alvarez showed remarkable promise as a filmmaker withEvil Deadand his follow-up, the horror-thrillerDon’t Breathe, is set for release this year, but the prospect of seeing him tackle such a large-scale monster project is certainly exciting. We should hear more news on the film very soon as a studio will likely close a deal in a matter of days.
