Back in 2009, Guillermo del Toro sat down with Wired to discuss his then-upcoming journey into Middle-earth. At the time, the visionary director of Pan’s Labyrinth was preparing to helm The Hobbit, a project that would eventually see Peter Jackson return to the director’s chair. Looking back at this archival discussion, del Toro’s predictions about the “story engine” of the future feel remarkably prophetic.
During the conversation, the director touched on the intersection of cinema and technology. He noted that in the coming decade, we would see film, television, and games melding into a single platform. This concept, which he likened to a “Model T” of storytelling, anticipated the massive transmedia expansions we now see in franchises like The Last of Us and Fallout.
The director also shared insights into his creative origins in Guadalajara and his fascination with the “mythical” nature of city subways. He famously noted that beneath the surface, cities are boiling with monsters. This theme has remained a staple in his work, from the early vampire fable Cronos to his more recent Cabinet of Curiosities.
One of the most striking moments in the interview was his defense of genre filmmaking. Del Toro argued against the industry’s condescending view that loving science fiction or fantasy means a lack of depth. He pointed to authors like Kurt Vonnegut and Stephen King as examples of how the profound and the profane can exist in the same space.
While del Toro eventually stepped away from The Hobbit to pursue other passions, his influence on the genre remains unmatched. His ability to take genre premises and illuminate reality in different ways is what makes him a “critically beloved prophet” of the fantastic. For those interested in his monster-making process, his early work on Hellboy and Blade II offers a perfect blueprint.
If you enjoy exploring the minds of visionary filmmakers, you might also like our The Marksman interview or our look at Ryan Gosling’s favorite films.
