Guillermo del Toro's Silva Is A 'Really Bizarre' Vampire Movie

Guillermo del Toro has been busy of late with his latest foray into the realm of the Hollywood studio productions. The director's Pacific Rim sequel is officially delayed for the time being, but his love letter to Gothic horror/romance, titled Crimson Peak is about to be released. Next for the filmmaker: a highly secretive indie project that del Toro has teased as being "really, really bizarre."

It's now been revealed that the del Toro mystery project in question is a low budget movie called Silva. Additional details have emerged, which should cause even more bemused excitement - as Silva will hybridize vampires with... Mexican wrestling.

For del Toro, Silva represents unfinished business. This is a movie he has had in his uniquely expressive mind for years; a project that was discarded when his Mexican filmmaking career abruptly came to an end, as his family was forced to flee their country following the kidnapping of his father.

The director revealed to The Guardian that he intends Silva to be in black and white and follow the story of a Lucha Libre wrestler who discovers the dark secret that all politicians are actually vampires. This film is less of a Joss Whedon-esque break from blockbusters (for context: Whedon took time out to create his micro budget adaption of Much Ado About Nothing after filming The Avengers) and more of a return to his roots in highly original fantasy horror.

“What I can tell you quite safely is, I don’t intend to keep on doing big, giant Hollywood movies for much longer...... Crimson Peak is a great permit for me to work on a smaller scale. I mean, it’s big for a drama, but it’s a much smaller undertaking than Pacific Rim or Hellboy. I can’t say which ones, but I’ve been offered gigantic movies in the superhero genre, but I don’t like the superheroes that are… nice. I like the dark ones, so Blade and Hellboy were right for me. The mechanics of action only interest me when it’s a universe very, very close to my heart, which Pacific Rim is, and I love it. I’m not going to pursue action movies or superhero movies at all any more. I hope I can go back to doing the smaller, weirder ones.”

Silva will not be the first time del Toro has been inspired by vampires within his career. In addition to directing Blade 2, he co-authored a vampire book trilogy with Chuck Hogan (titled The Strain), which has been adapted into a TV series for FX - the pilot episode he also directed. The highly creative director has often explored themes of monsters, insects and evil in his movies, citing the encyclopedias he was obsessed with as a child as the cause of his fanaticism. These interests have spawned an extraordinary style that is beautiful, visceral and bizarre.

When a director chooses to strip back the layers of the Hollywood machine and work on a low budget, independent style project, it often signifies a creative desire or issue that needs resolution; del Toro seems compelled at this stage to rediscover his artistry through this project that is clearly a labor of love. He is now in the position to create something that although low budget, will probably benefit from the time and experience he can now apply to it, from the variety of highly successful projects under his belt.

With the strange marrying of themes, Silva should be a wild ride and offer insight into the creative inner world of this unique director.