Guillermo del Toro developing 'bonkers' movie about Mexican wrestlers and vampire politicians

Best known for his horror films, director Guillermo del Toro bucked his own trend by helming blockbuster sci-fi adventure Pacific Rim in 2013. But with recent picture Crimson Peak, starring Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain, returning him back to his spookier roots, it is evident where Del Toro feels most comfortable.

In his self-proclaimed break from blockbusters, the 51-year-old is currently developing a much smaller horror movie that sounds, in true Del Toro style, completely bizarre.

Speaking with The Guardian (via The Playlist), the Mexican film-maker let slip about his previously under-wraps upcoming project, suggesting it will be a black-and-white low-budget picture, with a plot he thought up when he was much younger. He said the film was put on a serious back-burner during his early days of making movies after his family fled their home country for Toronto after his father was kidnapped and the family paid a hefty ransom.

He confirmed the film will be called Silva and will follow Mexican wrestler Luchador, who accidentally finds out all politicians are vampires. Upon his discovery, the professional fighter vows to remove the undead from their governmental positions by killing them.

While the premise may sound crazy, Del Toro has proved he is more than capable of juggling odd storylines and haunting visuals with a filmography that includes titles such as The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth and, more recently, television series The Strain, and it is clear he wants to return to doing what he does best, officially.

Del Toro said: "What I can tell you quite safely is I don't intend to keep on doing big, giant Hollywood movies for much longer. Crimson Peak is a great permit for me to work on a smaller scale. I mean, it's big for a drama, but it's a much smaller undertaking than Pacific Rim or Hellboy. I can't say which ones, but I've been offered gigantic movies in the superhero genre, but I don't like the superheroes that are... nice. I like the dark ones, so Blade and Hellboy were right for me.

"The mechanics of action only interest me when it's a universe very, very close to my heart, which Pacific Rim is, and I love it. I'm not going to pursue action movies or superhero movies at all any more. I hope I can go back to doing the smaller, weirder ones."

Due to his commitment to creating more obscure movies, the sequel to the money-making Pacific Rim has officially been put on hold, but Del Toro urges that it is not necessarily his decision to do more horror-based pictures that has led to the push-back. The director took to Twitter shortly after the interview sparked fan speculation to state he was simply waiting on the script and a "green light by the studios" in order to further the movie.