Here are the facts. Guillermo Del Toro is making a movie called Crimson Peak. It will be a horror film. In Del Toro’s words, “[It’s] a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story. It will allow me to play with the conventions of the genre I know and love, and at the same time subvert the old rules.” Charlie Hunnam and Jessica Chastain are set to star in said movie. Benedict Cumberbatch was slated to join them. Now he is not. Instead everyone’s favorite trickster god, Tom Hiddleston, will be taking his place in the Crimson Peak cast. We can probably assume it will be excellent given the great cast and great filmmaker involved. Aside from that, the world is pretty much in the dark on this one.

There is some speculation however. I love speculation. This time it is especially juicy.

There is some thought that Crimson Peak may, in fact, be an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s Mountains of Madness. The novella is a critical text in the formulation of Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythology. A mythology that is becoming increasingly present with our culture’s growing infatuation with the apocalypse. Cthulu was on South Park. That should be proof enough.

Anyway, the novella is narrated in the first person by geologist William Dyer. He and his protégé, graduate student Danforth, explore Antarctica and discover hints of an ancient civilization known as the Elder Things. From there it goes into details of their origins and mentions Cthulu as well as numerous other fascinating beasties. If this is indeed the case, then I will be all in on Crimson Peak.

I’m not sure what role Hiddleston will have in the Crimson Peak cast. There isn’t a lot of meat outside of Dyer and Danforth, but I’m sure he’ll be given the chance to masticate the set in his Shakespeare meets Dr. Evil sort of way.

Do you have any theories about Crimson Peak? Do you think it might be the Lovecraft adaptation we all crave? What role might Hiddleston play? I’ll be searching for runes in the comments. Give me something worth looking for.

Source: Variety