Across the Universe: 'Mama' on top

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Del Toro is also well-known for being attached to lots of projects at one time, with many of them languishing in development. He has often said that the more projects one is attached to, the better the chances of at least one of them getting to the screen, and to be fair he's probably right about that: Better to cast a wide net and snag one decent fish instead of chasing a single white whale for years and ending up empty-handed. Del Toro's fans, however -- among whom we count ourselves -- are often left wondering whether any of the enticing films or TV series he gets entangled with will ever see the light of a projector.

But money talks in this town, and a $30 million opening for a movie with a $15 million budget and no superstars (Jessica Chastain is on her way, but not there yet) is impressive. And don't forget, after a five-year absence behind the camera, del Toro is coming back in a big way this summer with "Pacific Rim," a post-apocalyptic showdown between skyscraper-sized extra-dimensional monsters and equally large-scale robot defenders that, if it lives up to the promise of its eye-catching trailers, could do blockbuster business. Then del Toro -- who has his own museum of horror, science fiction and the otherworldly on his property, dubbed "Bleak House" -- could really have his chance to pick and choose what's next.

So what are some of the projects that the man has on his to-do list? Here's a look at the ones that keep coming up, along with our speculation on the odds of them finally hitting the screen:

"Crimson Peak": This looks likely to go in front of cameras next, with Emma Stone and Charlie Hunnam (who also stars in "Pacific Rim") in negotiations to star and filming possibly starting next month. Del Toro, who has written the script with regular collaborator Matthew Robbins, has called it a "Gothic romance" and likened it to classic supernatural chillers like "The Haunting."

"Pinocchio": This one's been kicking around for a while, too, with del Toro writing and hoping to direct a darker animated take on the classic fairy tale. As recently as last November, he told Fearnet that he hoped to begin shooting "Pinocchio" this summer and was already doing voice and FX tests for it. Those plans -- and indeed, many others -- could be complicated if a "Pacific Rim 2" gets the green light quickly (a script is already being developed for that).

"The Haunted Mansion": This was a surprise announcement at 2010's Comic-Con, with del Toro saying he would write and probably direct a film based on the famous and still-popular Disney theme park attraction that would be scary and not a comedy like the 2003 Eddie Murphy fiasco. Little has been heard about the project since, although it's now likelier that del Toro will simply produce instead of direct if the movie even makes it into production.

"Dark Universe": This has cropped only recently, but del Toro has said that a script is being developed and the project could happen. The premise is basically an "Avengers"-style team-up of some of the darker, more supernatural inhabitants of the DC Comics universe, like Swamp Thing, Deadman, John Constantine, the Spectre and the Phantom Stranger. It's a fascinating idea and one, we hope, that could happen. If the next big DC movie, "Man of Steel," is as huge as hoped, look for this to pick up momentum in the next year or two.

"Frankenstein": One of del Toro's two dream projects has been his own adaptation of Mary Shelley's landmark novel, which remains the filmmaker's favorite book (Frankenstein's creature is also his all-time favorite monster). The last official adaptation was Kenneth Branagh's critically panned 1994 version, starring himself and Robert De Niro as the creature, so enough time has passed for a fresh look. "Frankenstein" has always been tricky to adapt, but Guillermo's the man to do it: His love for the source material would ensure a faithful and definitive version. Last we heard, he almost had a deal in place with Universal to at least get the script going.

"Saturn and the End of Days": Although he's mostly working on big Hollywood projects now, some of del Toro's most beloved films remain his smaller, Spanish-language tales like "The Devil's Backbone" (his masterpiece to date, in our opinion) and the acclaimed, equally superb "Pan's Labyrinth." Del Toro has said recently that he's done some work on the script for a new movie in this realm, which would view the end of the world through a little boy's eyes.

"Hellboy 3": "Hellboy" was a sleeper hit in 2004, but the 2008 sequel, "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," did not fare as well, while costing more to make. As a result, no studio at the moment is willing to put up the money for a third one. Nonetheless, del Toro says that the idea for a third and final film is there and ready to be developed into a feature -- but it would also be the most expensive of the three. Don't expect to see Ron Perlman back in red paint anytime soon.

"At the Mountains of Madness": With Tom Cruise attached to star and James Cameron producing, how did this epic 3-D adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's classic novella go wrong? Universal Pictures got cold feet over making an R-rated horror film that would cost north of $150 million, that's how. According to del Toro, there is a solid draft of the script ready and Cruise still apparently wants to do it. But it may take the success of another set of giant monsters -- the "Pacific Rim" gang -- to give del Toro the necessary power he needs to bring Lovecraft's Old Ones to the screen in all their tentacled glory.

"Mama" is out in theaters now.