At the Toronto International Film Festival, director Guillermo del Toro revealed he is working on a new film titled Fury, a crime thriller starring Oscar Isaac, continuing their creative partnership. Del Toro described the project as a return to the dark, violent tone seen in his earlier film Nightmare Alley, emphasizing its ruthless and intense nature.
Exploring Themes of Violence and Regret
Del Toro discussed his fascination with the many forms of violence we inflict on each other, whether mental, spiritual, or physical, highlighting how this interest shapes the story in Fury. Reflecting on his own life at 60 years old, the director said he is now focusing on themes of regret, marking this phase as his “regret decade.”
“I’m very interested in the violence we do to each other, and we do it with our minds, we do it with our souls and we do it physically. And I think it’s new questions. I’m 60 now, so I’ve gone from asking where I’m going, and father and son, to regret. I’m in the regret decade, so expect a lot of regret.” —Guillermo del Toro, Director
Plans for an Adult-Oriented Stop-Motion Adaptation
In addition to Fury, del Toro is developing an animated adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Buried Giant. He promised the film would be a serious stop-motion project aimed at adults, blending the detail of live-action with the unique artistry of animation to explore complex themes.
“Epic stop-motion that is not going to be for kids. It’s truly exploring the capacity to act, of a stop-motion project, and fuse a world the way you would do it if it was a live-action.” —Guillermo del Toro, Director
Continuing the Creative Dialogue with Oscar Isaac
Del Toro emphasized that Fury will differ stylistically from Frankenstein, the film they recently completed. He described it as a continuation of the creative conversation started with Isaac, signaling a fresh direction for their collaboration.
“We’re doing a film together that I’m writing, again for Oscar, that is completely different stylistically [from ‘Frankenstein’]. It’s a crime thriller, and we already, what we’re gonna do is continue the dialog we started.” —Guillermo del Toro, Director
Reimagining Frankenstein’s Original Impact
Del Toro also reflected on his approach to Frankenstein, aiming to recapture the original experience of encountering Mary Shelley’s novel before it became a widespread cultural icon. He wanted audiences to feel the initial shock and rawness of the story’s characters.
“It’s about, can you renew what it felt to read that book, what it felt to encounter those characters for the first time, before they became figures to advertise radiators or cereal cartoons.” —Guillermo del Toro, Director
Anticipated Impact and Future Prospects
With Fury, Guillermo del Toro is returning to darker, more violent storytelling paired with deep emotional and psychological themes. His ongoing collaboration with Oscar Isaac signals a continued exploration of complex characters and narratives. The film’s focus on brutal violence and regret suggests it will offer a powerful, intense experience for audiences, building on del Toro’s reputation for blending genre with profound human questions.
