Just last week we learned that Guillermo del Toro was at one point in time, back in 2007 he says, offered the chance to helm some form of a “Dark Universe” for Universal Studios. According to Del Toro, he was given the reins of several properties; 10 years after turning down the offer, the visionary filmmaker admits, he regrets the decision.

Now that the Dark Universe is seemingly dead in the wake of this year’s The Mummy, well, let’s just say we wish it was Guillermo del Toro who was steering the ship. After all, his own The Shape of Water is something of a Creature from the Black Lagoon remake, and it may very well contain within it the key to bringing iconic monsters back proper.

That key? A genuine love for those monsters, Del Toro posits. Speaking with Screen Rant this week, he presented a theory for why modern monster reboots haven’t worked.

“I think that there is a postmodern attitude towards the genre that tries to disarm or disassemble the genre in a postmodern way,” said Del Toro. “And I think that when you approach characters with earnest love, it’s a lot less safe because you’re not above the material. You are high on your own supply and it’s easier to be ironic, so I think that’s part of it.”

He continued, “But then you have ambivalent things like Jordan Peele nailing it and making it not ironic, but reflexive. And he’s a fusion of reverence and intelligence. It’s a good year for the genre, for sure.”

Hey, maybe it’s not too late to let Del Toro take over…