Last year everything looked good for Guillermo del Toro until he had to leave The Hobbit because of MGM's money issues. Then he went on to make At The Mountains of Madness with Tom Cruise attached in the lead role. Now there is word Universal isn't happy with the budget or the film's rating. Currently it would cost $150 million to make the R-rated horror film and that's not including the marketing fees. Universal has been plagued with many poor decisions lately and are not taking up any risky projects like Mountains. Even if del Toro is the creative mind behind the camera and script. Along with James Cameron as the producer and working on the film's 3D effects.
There is word from Deadline that they could move the project to the James Cameron friendly Fox who would be willing to shell out the $150 million needed. They also mention that if these problems keep persisting Guillermo might have to push pause on the project all together. This would mean he'd look to Legendary Pictures' (Warner Bros.) massive monster movie Pacific Rim as his next movie instead.
Universal really seems to have something against the genre as they bumped The Thing prequel from April to October and have yet to release a trailer which has already been played in theaters. Not to mention international markets would love this film as it's similar to Lord of The Rings in scope. Plus the bloated ticket prices for a 3D film would also bump up the box office takes. While it sounds risky on paper it's a dream project for Guillermo and Universal should be understanding of that if they want him to direct multiple films for the studio. Previously the director signed on to direct a bunch of films for the studio which includes a new Frankenstein film. Personally I'd rather see the film at another studio if it means the original vision is made.
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