"Pan's Labyrinth" fans were in for a massive surprise at an anniversary screening over the weekend. “Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro made a surprise appearance at a Times Square screening of his Oscar-winning film for its 20th anniversary.
The opening night of the 2006 movie’s re-release happened to also be del Toro’s birthday — and NYC’s High Priestess of Punk, Patti Smith, showed up to sing del Toro “Happy Birthday” in front of the delighted crowd.
A cake was also wheeled for that said, “No God Damn AI,” in frosting — reflecting the “Hellboy” director’s avid stance against the technology. (He’s previously said he’d “rather die” than use generative AI in his ambitiously art directed movies.)
The cake also said, “Happy Birthday,” with the number 20 on it. “It says 20? I’m 62! I only look 20,” quipped del Toro to the crowd.
We hear that the director and Smith then headed to dinner.
“Pan’s Labyrinth” won three Oscars in 2007.
Del Toro’s next project is reportedly a stop-motion adaptation of author Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2015 novel “The Buried Giant.”
This month, del Toro defended Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s polarizing new film, “Digger,” calling one lackluster review that advised viewers to wait to see the movie when it comes to HBO Max, “petty,” and adding, “The film delivers in scale, ambition and reach at a theatrical screen level. Daring, bold and cinematically complex. Decidedly a theatrical experience.”
