Letter to Guillermo
Apr 29th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Analysis and Comment
Dear Guillermo:
I’m really glad that you’ve gotten the plum directing gig in the known universe, and I hope you get a boodle of cash out of it (and if you want somewhere to spend it, my email’s in the profile). As a public service, and because you seem like a nice boy and all, I’m writing this friendly letter in the hopes that you find it helpful, and because I really did like Hell Boy, you know.
First of all, Gill — may I call you Gill? — you have to understand that 2011 is a long way off, and that a lot of stuff can happen before that first release date, and probably will. In the meantime, there will be several waves of back-biting and back-lashing (some might call it whip-lashing), as every fan-boy and blogger in the world (like me!) will be speculating to no end (except maybe to the end of getting their jollies and increasing their readership at your expense.)
Every little rumor will get blown up out of proportion, and every opinion expressed will have a million counter-expressions and counter-counter-expressions. Here’s the perfect example, from one of the hacks (I mean critics) at Salon, one Andrew O’Hehir. It’s charmingly titled Guillermo del Toro to make “Hobbit” films: Bleah!, and here’s part of what he has to say:
At least on the surface, it’s a natural fit, and I hope my premonition is wrong. But this whole project smells to me of hubris, and indeed of something worse: It smells of George Lucas.
Dude! He compared you to Lucas! But it gets worse:
First of all, hasn’t anybody noticed that del Toro has repeatedly said he doesn’t like Tolkien, and that he never finished reading “The Lord of the Rings”? Here’s what he told me in Cannes in 2006, when I asked him about the influence of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis on his own work: “I was never into heroic fantasy. At all. I don’t like little guys and dragons, hairy feet, hobbits — I’ve never been into that at all. I don’t like sword and sorcery, I hate all that stuff.”
Here’s the point–did you actually say that? If that’s the way you feel, it’s cool, but you have to understand that people are going to dig that stuff up when you sign on to direct a multi-million-dollar film with some of those “little guys and dragons” in it. And the last time I checked, there were 62 comments to O’Hehir’s post.
Of course, you shouldn’t go around making contradictory statements either, even if it is only on a fan-site like TheOneRing.net. Let me refresh your memory:
But by no means will we depart from the canon, we will take the three previous films as canon. When I become part of a world that I love, such as this, I really come with a lot of enthusiasm and hard work, and we know we are recreating and creating a world that is part of the mythos of millions of people and we will approach it as passionately and respectfully as it needs to be taken. (emphases and bolds are mine)
What you’ve gotta understand is that even if the little people on TORN are thrilled that you actually post on their site, that’ll only get you so far. Despite their arrested-adolescence name like Dernwyn and L. Ron Halfelven, they’re the ones you have to please. And if they think you’re being less than honest, they’ll turn on you in a hairy-footed minute.
So just a friendly word of advice, because I like you and all . . . over the next four years, watch what you say and to whom you say it. Because if things go sour, and the hobbit-folk think you’re just another corporate ork with an axe to grind, New Zealand won’t be far enough.
Your friend,
Rick
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Haha, great letter, Rick. I’m about a 6.5/10 on the fan scale for these, so I’ll let others fight the fight for me.
Yeah, I’m a Tolkien fan from way back, but I’m far too old to be a fan-boy. I’m looking forward to The Hobbit films, but just that.
A “ready-made” audience is a two edged sword.
Thanks for the comment, Daniel!