Writer and director Guillermo del Toro estimates that he's spent about 16 years working on screenplays that never got made. Del Toro is best known for his work on several successful films, including Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim, and The Shape of Water. With a love of monsters, a fondness for practical effects, and a distinct aesthetic quality to his films, del Toro is one of the most talented and instantly recognizable filmmakers working today.

Del Toro's Nightmare Alley, which is due out later this year, stars Bradley Cooper, Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, and Cate Blanchett and tells the story of a manipulative carny and his encounter with a female psychiatrist who may prove to be more dangerous than he is. Judging from the recently released trailer, Nightmare Alley appears to feature del Toro exploring more frightening territory after 2017's Oscar-winning The Shape of Water. In addition to Nightmare Alley, del Toro also has a stop motion animated adaptation of Pinocchio that is likely due sometime next year.

Related: Is Nightmare Alley A Horror Movie? Genre Explained

In reply to a fan on Twitter who asked many filmmakers how many screenplays they've written that never ended up getting made, Guillermo del Toro estimates that he has around 20 finished scripts that have never gotten off the ground for one reason or another. Considering each script takes him anywhere between 6 to 10 months to actually write, del Toro, by his estimation, has spent around 16 years writing scripts that never got made. Check out del Toro's original tweet below:

Of course, del Toro makes it clear that this time writing has not been wasted. Each unmade script may not have become a film, but each one has helped him improve as a writer and a storyteller. In his own words, his time spent writing has afforded him "experience and skill improvement." Considering how successful and critically lauded so many of his films have been, it's clear that del Toro's time spent honing his craft has been time well spent.

Although del Toro doesn't elaborate on any of his unmade projects, it would be fair to assume that one of them is likely a script for the much-rumored Hellboy 3. Fans clamored for any news regarding a third outing for Ron Pearlman's Hellboy for years following the release of the financially disappointing Hellboy II: The Golden Army in 2008. While it's unlikely del Toro and Pearlman will ever get to reunite for a third Hellboy, there's always the chance that the script – if indeed one exists – will eventually be released online for fans to read. With at least 20 unmade scripts floating around and two projects due out within the next 15 months, fans of Guillermo del Toro can rejoice, as it seems the talented writer/ director has no intention of slowing down in the years to come.

More: Guillermo Del Toro Is Now The Director Tim Burton Used To Be

Source: Guillermo del Toro/ Twitter

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