There aren't a lot of things that make us wish we lived in L.A, but one of them is revival theater the New Beverly, and specifically the Wright Stuff seasons hosted by "Shaun of the Dead" and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" director Edgar Wright. Now in their third year, they've seen Wright screen a selection of his favorite films, often introduced by special guests, who go for a Q&A afterwards.
The line-ups have always been terrific, but this year was something a little different; Wright chose a list of films that he'd never seen, based on recommendations from friends and readers of his blog, films including "Steamboat Bill Jr," "Throne Of Blood," "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "To Be Or Not To Be." And amid the screenings of past gems, there was a little snippet of revelation as to what the filmmaker's next project might be.
Since "Scott Pilgrim" was released, there's been much speculation as to what Wright might move onto, with both Marvel superhero flick "Ant-Man" and third Simon Pegg collaboration "The World's End" in the mix, along with original project "Baby Driver." Blog The Moveable Fest have an excellent recap of the just-completed Wright Stuff season, and report that at a screening of "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," Wright revealed that it was the only film he selected without anyone's specific recommendations, because, in his words, "I've written a script which is kind of like a musical. Slightly a departure for me in some ways, but when I’ve told people about the movie and the idea, most of them have said, 'You’ve got to see ‘Umbrellas of Cherbourg,’' So here we are.”
Wright's long been a fan of the movie musical; 'Scott Pilgrim' has as much of that genre in its DNA as it does kung-fu flicks, as he explained when he wrote about his favorite screen song-and-dance pieces for us when that film was released. But the idea of him penning something 'like a musical' is impossibly exciting. The only question is which of his upcoming projects it is, but we suspect that neither "Ant Man" or 'Shaun'/'Hot Fuzz' sequel-in-spirit "The World's End" are going to feature songs, which leaves "Baby Driver," about which almost nothing is known, as the strongest possibillity. Unless it's an entirely new project, yet to be revealed.
We certainly hope that, whichever it turns out to be (and we've got our fingers crossed that it's "Baby Driver"), that film is the next on Wright's slate (although Nick Frost recently said that a 2012 shoot was planned for "The World's End"), and we're sure more news will be forthcoming in the new year. The director also revealed at another screening that he's planning to team up with "Kill List" director Ben Wheatley (whose latest film "Sightseers" is executive-produced by Wright) for a series of podcasts interviewing great British filmmakers, which sounds like another exciting proposition, and we hope that comes to pass, too.