Guillermo del Toro is working with ‘Babadook’ director Jennifer Kent on a new horror film.
The two filmmakers are renowned for their work in the genre of scares – with Guillermo’s past work including ‘Mimic’, ‘Cronos’ and ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ – and they are now teaming up to create a fresh fear-inducing film, although the details of the project are top secret.
Speaking to website Bloody Disgusting, Jennifer said: "I’m not being secretive but I’m not sure I can talk about it. It’s something scary and I really admire him and his work. I think he’s a true artist so I’m excited to know more. We’re in early stages of that."
Kent’s next project is Australian period drama ‘The Nightingale’, which is set in 1825 in the British penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land, now known as the Australian state of Tasmania), and follows young female convict Claire (Aisling Franciosi) on a revenge mission against British officer Hawkins (Sam Claflin) following a terrible act he committed against her family.
But she is staying busy and as well as her project with Guillermo she is also developing a TV series ‘Tiptree’ based on the life of American science fiction author James Tiptree Jr., which was the pseudonym for Alice B. Sheldon who wrote under a pen name to show that there was no different between male and female writing.
Speaking about the series, Kent said: "James Tiptree Jr. was this man who wrote these incredible short stories, science fiction stories and became in that sci-fi world at the level of Philip K. Dick or Ursula Le Guin, very, very successful. They were very violent stories, stories very prescient and very astute on human being and human nature but using aliens, foreign planets, dystopian worlds. No one knew who this man was or what he looked like. Then after 10 years, they discovered he was a 60-year-old-woman who lived in Virginia. Her life then became public.
"It’s going to be quite a surreal abstract ride through her life. She was a genius and I’m really excited for people to know who she is … She was just a one-off human being with an extraordinary life."
Tiptree’s tomes include ‘The Screwfly Solution’, ‘Houston, Houston, Do You Read?’ and ‘The Girl Who Was Plugged In’.
Guillermo del Toro and Jennifer Kent working on horror film together
