Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro is bringing his creative vision to bear on the games industry. Last week he teased a "big deal with a big company." According to the LA Times, that big company is THQ.
We reported on Del Toro's plans to enter the game industry last week, after he teased an upcoming deal with the folks at MTV. Now Ben Fritz of the LA Times reports that the director is finalizing a deal with the Red Faction publisher. citing "people familiar with the matter."
According to the LA Times sources, THQ executive vice president of core games Danny Bilson is spearheading the deal with Del Toro. Bilson has a background in film and television, co-writing The Rocketeer, as well as acting as co-creator and executive producer on The Flash live-action television series from the early 90's.
THQ has yet to confirm the potential deal, but we can expect to hear once the deal closes, which Del Toro told MTV should happen in a few weeks.
As a huge fan of Del Toro's work, I can't wait to see how his vision translates into interactive entertainment.
We've contacted THQ for confirmation, and will update this post should they respond.
Update: A THQ spokesperson said this to say about the deal: "We have no comment on this specific deal. We have stated our strategy to work with the best artists in the business, such as our recent development deal with Tomonobu Itagaki. We think Guillermo del Toro is a very talented director with whom any video game publisher would be happy to work."
Guillermo del Toro negotiating video game deal with THQ [LA Times]