By Scott Brown @ Wired: Two years ago, few outside of fanboyland knew who Guillermo del Toro was. Film geeks name-dropped him as one of the “Three Amigos,” a triad of up-and-coming Mexican-born buddies that includes Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) and Alejandro Gonzàlez Inàrritu (Babel). But del Toro was probably the nerdiest of the three—the pasty indoor kid behind Hellboy who doodled in his notebook and painted pewter dragons while his pals made “important” films with Clive Owen and Brad Pitt. That changed with Pan’s Labyrinth, his grimly vivid coming-of-age fable set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Nominated for six Oscars and winning three (including Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction), Labyrinth instantly elevated the talented schlock-meister from geek totem to critically beloved prophet. He was handpicked by Peter Jackson to helm the two-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings and took on a slew of projects that will keep him in the spotlight for years. His plate is now piled high with a Frankenstein adaptation, revisionist Dickens, loyalist Vonnegut, and more. Suddenly, we’re looking down the barrel of the Del Toro Decade. Q&A: Hobbit Director Guillermo del Toro on the Future of Film