At this point, Guillermo Del Toro and JJ Abrams have to be neck and neck for most movies and TV shows in development.
While I’m not precisely timing this, it seems like every time I sneeze there’s another announcement in the Hollywood trades that Del Toro’s got something new cooking, and this week was certainly no exception.
We previously reported that Del Toro may have a hand in bringing the Hulk back to TV on ABC, which would be very cool if this actually comes to pass. Remember, with Joss Whedon signing an exclusive three-year deal with Marvel to make The Avengers 2 as well as the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, the comics giant wants to be a major presence on both the big and small screen. But for this week, Del Toro’s new series deal is for Nutshell Studies, which he’ll be working on for HBO.
According to the Hollywood Reporter Nutshell Studies takes place in the 1950’s, and it’s about a small town housewife who starts solving hideous local crimes. Studies is based on a novel by Corrine May Botz, and Sara Gran, who writes for the realistic cop drama Southland, will also be penning for Studies.
The Reporter describes Nutshell Studies as “a Hitchcockian drama,” and from that little thumbnail sketch, as well as the kooky title, I immediate thought of Twin Peaks. Something like that with Del Toro at the helm could definitely be really interesting.
Also working for HBO, Del Toro can do gore and violence without the ratings board breathing down his neck. As we see all the time, procedural shows are still all the rage, but a retro procedural with Del Toro’s involvement could be a very sweet concept. Del Toro will be an executive producer on the show, and he will also direct, naturally.
Love him or hate him, you can tell a JJ Abrams show when you see it, and Del Toro could also bring his own very darkly unique touch to a series as well. In the meantime, the giant robot vs. giant monster sci-fi epic Pacific Rim, Del Toro’s first film since 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, will be hitting theaters on July 11, 2013.
