Guillermo del Toro is an icon of horror, science fiction, and fantasy cinema. The Shape of Water proved that those genres can be appreciated in a high-brow sense as well as by the masses. Del Toro won two major Oscars last year for The Shape of Water, but that has not prevented him from pursuing his passion projects.

In a report from Collider, del Toro’s next project, Zanbato, was announced. He will write and direct the action film for Paramount and Bad Robot with JJ Abrams producing on behalf of Bad Robot.

The story has been kept strictly under wraps, but we do know it will follow a young girl with spectacular fighting abilities. Del Toro has clarified that it is in no way a ninja film, but will be full of action sequences.

Another project that del Toro is currently working on is a stop-motion musical adaptation of Pinocchio for Netflix. He also has producer credit on Fox’s Antlers and CBS Films’ Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. 

Abrams is deep in post production on Star Wars: Episode IX and is an executive producer of HBO’s upcoming series Lovecraft Country. 

No cast or release details have been released yet for Zanbato, but it will surely be a major source of news and speculation with such big names of the action and horror genres teaming up on a project.

This has been in developmwnt for the last 6 years or so! Thanks to JJ maximum security system, it had not leaked. We are still developing steadily. Stay tuned here for news on which project SHOOTS next. Pinocchio btw is already in active prepro in Portland, OR https://t.co/Pd6wLXL5Wv

— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 1, 2019