Guillermo Del Toro’s sci-fi action film Pacific Rim hits theaters Friday, but has already generated significant buzz, including positive reviews from critics, and several high-profile celebrity endorsements.
“We’ve been consistently well-received. Most of my movies have a very good record in that regard,” Del Toro said during an interview with theGrio. “We’re getting a lot of conversation from audiences on the cyber space and a lot conversation from people of high visibility [actors, artist, sports figures] reacting positively. That is unprecedented for me. I’ve never had that happen to a movie and certainly not at this scale.”
A surprise celebrity endorsement came last week when Kanye West attended a Los Angeles screening of Pacific Rim hosted by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan.
After watching the movie, the “I Am A God” singer decided to become a film critic, tweeting out his review of the action flick.
“I saw a pre-screening of Pacific Rim yesterday and it’s easily one of my favorite movies of all time,” West Tweeted. “This is not another “Robot” movie. Guillermo Del Toro is a master.”
In May, West filmed a cameo in Anchorman: The Legend Continues, which might lead to more acting roles for the rapper.
Del Toro told theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon he would “love” to make a movie with Kanye West, if the right role came along.
“I would love to,” Del Toro said when asked if he would cast West in one of his upcoming movies. “To collaborate with him in any fashion would be great. Since the early days of “Dark Fantasy” and “Monster,” I’ve been really taken by his creativity. He’s a powerhouse of creation. He has a very complete sense of all the arts, so it would be great to collaborate with him.”
A little over a decade ago Del Toro collaborated with Wesley Snipes for the superhero action film Blade 2, which became the most successful of the Blade series, making $80 million in the U.S. and $150 million internationally.
In April, Snipes was released from prison after serving nearly three years of hard time after losing his appeal on a conviction of tax evasion.
Del Toro said he’s always been a fan of Snipes and weighed in on whether or not the 50-year-old actor has what it takes to have a second act in Hollywood.
“I had a couple of beautiful discussions with Wesley right after he came out of prison. We made contact through email then through the phone,” Del Toro confessed. “I told him ‘if you see anything I do that you think your right for, or if there is anything that I am doing that I think is right for you, I will approach you.’”
“He is and always will be unique in the panorama of those actors that can do great action movies, great drama, and can do very great comedy. This guy is a major talent and a star, and I think that he most certainly can rebuild himself now.”
Snipes is next set to appear in the third installment of Slyvester Stallone’s franchise, The Expendables, which currently is in pre-production.
Pacific Rim hits theaters nationwide Friday.
Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter for more Entertainment news at @WitherspoonC