Guillermo del Toro is best known for films with epic visual elements, but what if we got to see a quainter side of the iconic director. Though he has been working on massive studio projects–Pacific Rim and the upcoming Crimson Peak— his next film (before he shoots Pacific Rim 2) will reportedly be a black-and-white indie project.

del Toro told Collider that this film has “one great creature in it,” so at least he’s staying true to form! He gave the outlet a few details, just enough to spark our curiosity.

“Right away, in February/March I should [start on] another very small movie, black and white, really, really bizarre before starting—we start pre-production on Pacific Rim 2 in August, and then I interrupt it briefly to go into the first of next year to do this strange little movie, and then I restart it and go all the way until we start shooting Pacific Rim 2 at the end of 2015 for release in 2017.”

Apparently the film will have a tiny cast, and del Toro is eying John Hurt for the main role. He also has an actress in mind that he says is relatively unknown, so we’ll get to meet a fresh new face. del Toro begins pre-production on Pacific Rim 2 next month, and this smaller film is intended to shoot before that kicks into gear.

What do you think of this news? Any idea what the creature will be? Give us all you’ve got in the comments below.

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HT: Slash Film, Collider

IMAGE: Gage Skidmore, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons