According to the New Yorker, author and director Guillermo del Toro has withdrawn from negotiations to direct an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft‘s horror classic, “At the Mountains of Madness.”

Here’s more from New Yorker reporter Daniel Zalewski : “On Monday, del Toro withdrew from the negotiations, and that night at ten-thirty he sent me a short, mournful e-mail: ‘Madness has gone dark. The ‘R’ did us in.’ Del Toro had told me that he would not compromise on the film’s rating, even though a film rated PG-13 would have a much easier time attracting a mass audience.”

Yesterday we linked to reports that the film would start shooting this year and that Tom Cruise would star in the horror movie.