Guillermo del Toro developed 'Gothic Western' Count of Monte Cristo with Coppola

Guillermo del Toro says he once developed a screenplay with Francis Ford Coppola for an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo, describing it as a Gothic Western. He wrote on X, "I have the screenplay! Which we developed w Francis Coppola in and around 1997-1998, and its a Gothic Western!" Del Toro has previously said he co-wrote the script with Kitt Carson and Matthew Robbins between 1993 and 1998, and that much of it was written during his father's kidnapping.

He told MTV in 2009, "It's a Gothic-Western retelling of The Count Of Monte Cristo, and I co-wrote it with Kitt Carson and Matthew Robbins around 1993 to 1998. I wrote a lot of that during the kidnapping of my father, so it’s a lot of rage. I adore that screenplay." Many of del Toro's projects have not been made, from a Justice League Dark film to a third Hellboy movie, and he has amassed a large collection of unproduced work.

He has also said, "If I can fight, sue, or hit someone to keep the project with me, I will keep them.