According to Pajiba, GdT is planning his own VAN HELSING over at Universal. Fortunately, it will bear no relationship to the indescribably terrible Stephen Sommers movie — del Toro will write an original action-horror treatment for the vampire-hunting character. At the moment, he is only setting up the story and producing the project, and a screenwriter is now being sought.
Van Helsing was first introduced in Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula” and later made famous by Peter Cushing in a number of Hammer films (including the great kung fu mashup LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES). Anthony Hopkins played the fang-slayer in Coppola’s 1992 DRACULA.
GdT is well-known for his love of classic horror — he’s also working on (among a dozen other things) his own versions of FRANKENSTEIN, DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE and H.P. Lovecraft’s AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. And like those, Van Helsing is in the public domain, so del Toro can go wild with the material.