Diego Luna, Channing Tatum Vie for Zoe Saldana's Affection in Guillermo del Toro's Day of the Dead-Inspired Film 'The Book of Life'
Do you believe in love after death? In Mexican producer Guillermo del Toro's animated world of the Mexican holiday the Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos), you should.
In del Toro's upcoming animated movie "The Book of Life," Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna and Channing Tatum fans will be surprised to see their favorite actors in a different light. This time Tatum will won't have his shirt off like in "Magic Mike," Saldana won't be a blue Avatar or a green Gamora like in "Guardians of the Galaxy," and Luna won't be wearing his director's cap like he did for "Cesar Chavez."
Instead, the multi-faceted actors will be providing the voices for animated characters. Luna is Manolo, a matador, and Tatum is Joaquin, the "town hotshot," who both vie for the attention of Saldana's Maria in the adorable, kid-friendly, CGI romantic comedy that insists the power of love can even defy death.
"The Book of Life" is a feast for the eyes for both children and adults, who get to see "Day of the Dead" inspired skeletons, skulls and mariachi outfits in beautifully crafted animation. Manolo must travel through three fantasy worlds: The Land of the Living, the Remembered and the Forgotten, to return to his true love.
Directed by Jorge Gutierrez and co-written by Gutierrez and Disney veteran Doug Langdale, "The Book of Life" is already rumored for a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination next year.
"The mandate of this movie was our 'Art of' book is going to look exactly like the movie. And every artist poured their heart and soul into that idea," Gutierrez told The Hollywood Reporter. "All my favorite albums, all my favorite books and films, they are all personal stories that take place in a very specific culture but that are universal," Gutierrez said. "So I wanted to make something that happened in my family but make it for the world."
Del Toro, the Mexican film director/producer is best known for his "Spanish-language dark fantasy pieces," such as "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth," as well as more mainstream American action movies such as "Hellboy" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and last year's "Pacific Rim." He's also produced the animated "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots."
According to BuzzFeed, del Toro has been working on "Pacific Rim 2" with screenwriter Zak Penn ("X-Men: The Last Stand" and "The Incredible Hulk") and has some "crazy ideas" for the highly anticipated film. (Though Legendary Pictures has yet to give the green light for the script to go into production.)
From the first trailer for 20th Century Fox and Reel FX's "The Book of Life," it's evident that del Toro put his signature on it — from the vibrant, trippy colors and detailed characters to its "intricate visuals."
There are also vocal appearances from Ron Perlman ("Hellboy," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and "Pacific Rim") as well as Christina Applegate, Ice Cube and Mexican-American actor Danny Trejo ("Machete" and "Desperado").
Check out the official trailer for del Toro and Gutierrez's "The Book of Life," which hits theaters Oct. 17 — a perfect tie-in for Halloween!