A little more than a year ago, I had the good fortune to interview the Canadian master filmmaker David Cronenberg, then making the rounds in support of Disappearance at Clifton Hill, a little horror indie in which he plays a supporting role onscreen. One of the topics of discussion was the possibility of another directorial effort from the esteemed auteur, then six years out from his last release, 2014’s Maps to the Stars.
He detailed difficulties in finding financing and a green light, making mention of a proposed miniseries, an adaptation of his own novel, and a “very personal” script. Today, it looks like those frustrations have come to an end, with the long-awaited news that a new film de Cronenberg is on the horizon.
Screen Daily has relayed a report from their sister publication KFTV that shooting is set to commence in early August on Crimes of the Future, described as “a strange film noir story” by Viggo Mortensen, a regular Cronenberg collaborator already tapped to star in the film. The shoot will take place in Greece, and the bulletin specifies that it’s planned to wrap up by mid-September.
Cronen-heads may recall that Crimes of the Future also happens to be the title of his second film, made back in 1970 and set in the then-distant future of 1997, an era thrown into dystopia by the inadvertent extermination of all sexually mature women. It’s there that an insane dermatologist goes searching for his mentor through a society of depravity, in which little girls can be drugged into puberty for forcible impregnation.
The question is now whether this new film will remake that one directly, or merely use it as a springboard for a newly reimagined story, but in either case, it seems like it’s probably the personal script he referred to last year. Those curious about the connection may feel free to check out the complete 63-minute original below, a clear demonstration of Cronenberg’s extraordinary confidence in his then-nascent career, with his pet themes and anxieties all in place:
Published 28 Apr 2021
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