Guillermo del Toro’s affable smile can win anyone’s heart. Not to mention, his movies as well. The Mexican filmmaker has given us a sleuth of cult classics over the years.

Though not one of the most dominating personalities out there, del Toro has quietly sneaked in quite a number of remarkable works over the span of his illustrious career.

With three Academy Awards and just as many Golden Globes, there can be no doubt about his impact on the industry. But things could have turned out better if he had chosen another movie over Hellboy 2.

Guillermo del Toro’s rise to fame

Guillermo del Toro rose to fame in the 2000s
At the turn of the millennium, Guillermo del Toro was not the icon he is today. A director with a couple of films to his name, he was still looking to find his feet in the industry. And it all changed for him with Hellboy, a movie that was well received by fans around the world.

The 2004 flick would be quite the milestone in his nascent career. The movie, apart from going on to bag a box office of $100 million against a budget of $60 million, gave the name Guillermo del Toro. But his real big break would come two years later, with Pan’s Labyrinth, a Spanish flick that would please both fans and critics.

Pan’s Labyrinth is (arguably) his magnum opus

The 2006 flick, starring the likes of Doug Jones and Ariadna Gil, won the critics over with the intricate world it created, and the characters it brought to life.

The three Academy Awards the movie bagged is a testimony to it being one of del Toro’s most critically appraised movies, winning the Oscar for Best Achievement in Cinematography, Art Direction, and Makeup.

And word has it that he was all set to come up with a sequel. The Shape of Water director had made plans to follow up the flick with a sequel, which would be titled 3993. 

The movie would mark the end of the Spanish Civil War trilogy, that started with The Devil’s Backbone all the way back in 2001. As fate would have it, 3993 could not see the light of day. Why? Because he chose to go with Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

Guillermo del Toro chose Hellboy 2: The Golden Army over 3993

Guillermo del Toro wanted to use the clout he had to give Hellboy 2: The Golden Army its best chance
The impact Pan’s Labyrinth had on Guillermo del Toro’s career is unfathomable. One of the many things it brought him was clout. He might not have been a biggie in the industry till then.

It was all set to change though. And what was one of the first call he took? Shelve its sequel.

The success of the 3 Oscar winning movie made the world sit up and take notice. And del Toro wanted to utilize that attention to give wings to his upcoming Hellboy sequel.

He had been looking forward to making Hellboy 2: The Golden Army ever since the first hit the theatres, even incorporating some of the world building elements of Pan’s Labyrinth. 

The success of the movie revolving around Spanish Civil war made him think that it would be better to not divide his attention for the time. The idea for 3993 was shelved.

Luckily, fans did get to witness the conclusion of the 59-year-old magnificent story, with the release of Pinocchio, which marked the end of the trilogy.

But it couldn’t replicate the hype generated by its predecessor. One can’t help but wonder, what if he had chosen another path to walk?