Credit: Netflix
It was recently announced that Kenneth Branagh, director of Thor and Murder on the Orient Express, was pegged to direct a live-action adaptation of Disney’s Gargoyles series. Although Branagh is no stranger to the superhero genre, given his experience with the Thor films, the studio might have just doomed the production from the start by ignoring a blatantly obvious directing choice, Guillermo del Toro.
Disney’s dark animated series about a clan of heroic gargoyles has been overdue for a feature-film adaptation, and this writer cannot say that Kenneth Branagh was the expected choice. While it was rumored for ages that Jordan Peele was set to bring Goliath and his friends to the big screen, it’s shocking to believe Disney didn’t try to negotiate with Guillermo del Toro for the opportunity.
Disney Ditches del Toro For a Second Time
Although fans are only days away from the upcoming Haunted Mansion horror film, Guillermo Del Toro was originally tapped for the project as far back as 2010. Production fell through after years in development hell, and now it looks like Disney is making the same mistake again by not giving a gothic story about heroic monsters to a gothic filmmaker with a love for them.
Related: “Gargoyles” creator says show can get reboot if fans binge series on Disney+
With such examples as Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, and The Shape of Water under his belt, why wasn’t del Toro approached for something that’s so obviously in his wheelhouse? A superhero saga about monsters living in secret from humanity and protecting them from the forces of darkness already sounds like three movies in his filmography.
Not only that, but this could have been the perfect opportunity for Disney to have one of the most prolific directors in the business on their payroll, as well as make up for his lost Haunted Mansion project. Of all the words of tongue and pen, the saddest are, “it might have been.”
Related: Director, Kenneth Branagh, Shocks Fans, In Talks to Adapt Forgotten Disney Series
Unfortunately for most Gargoyles fans, this is all just wishful thinking. The show’s original producer, Greg Weisman, announced this week that a film adaptation of the popular series was “flat out not true.” No report from Disney has officially been announced as to whether or not this is accurate, but that doesn’t mean the desire and components for such an adaptation aren’t there.
Who do you think should direct Gargoyles? Tell Inside the Magic in the comments below.