By Collider has today broken word that Mexican filmmaker and all-around fan favorite Guillermo del Toro is gearing up to direct Zanbato in partnership with JJ Abrams and Paramount.
Details are cloaked in shadow for the moment, but the film is sounding like an action one starring “a young girl (between 10-15) with lethal fighting skills.” Reports initially described the protagonist as a “ninja,” but GDT had some things to say on the matter:
This has been in developmwnt for the last 6 years or so! Thanks to JJ maximum security system, it had not leaked. We are still developing steadily. Stay tuned here for news on which project SHOOTS next. Pinocchio btw is already in active prepro in Portland, OR https://t.co/Pd6wLXL5Wv
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 1, 2019
BTW- NOT a Ninja project.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 1, 2019
But… there are Ninjas in it ðŸ¤
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 1, 2019
Copy that, jefe. Still, the title certainly carries the connotation of sneaky swordsman and the Land of the Rising Sun. From the Japanese, “zanbatÅ” translates, roughly, to “horse-slaying sword.” Basically a massive katana that infantry would use to stop a stampeding cavalryman from lopping their heads off. How this relates to del Toro’s film remains to be seen. OR NOT SEEN BECAUSE NINJAS.
It’s natural for a filmmaker as successful as del Toro to be involved in so many projects, many of which end up as mere utterances and Hollywood gossip, but his taking to Twitter would indicate that Zanbato is more than a rumor. Nice also is the acknowledgement of his Pinocchio adaptation, where pre-production seems to be going well at Netflix, with Mark Gustafson set to serve as co-director on the animation.
As noted in del Toro’s comments, whether Zanbato will begin production before Pinocchio remains to be seen, but hopefully this is a case of back-to-back goodness.
Hey… can you talk about Death Stranding?
Exclusive: Guillermo del Toro to Direct ‘Zanbato’ for J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, Paramount [Collider]