Try as you might to stay on top of the news, sometimes things just slip through the cracks, and we’ve really been sleeping on what Josh and Benny Safdie have been doing in what’s turning out to be a very busy 2016. The filmmaking duo behind “Heaven Knows What” are currently in post-production on “Good Time” starring Robert Pattinson, which is slated to hit theaters next year. And hot on the heels of that project, they’ve got even more cooking. Way back in January it was revealed the Safdies were cooking up a pilot called “Monger” at Showtime about two brothers and their relationship with their fishmonger father. Then in May, during the crush of announcements circa the Cannes Film Festival, word arrived that none other than Martin Scorsese would be executive producing the pair’s “Uncut Gems.” Not much was revealed in terms of details, but now we know just a little bit more.
This week, Le Cinema Club is streaming Josh Safdie’s 2006 short “We’re Going To The Zoo,” and in an accompanying interview, he shares a bit of what the brothers have ahead of them, including a bit on “Uncut Gems.”
“It’s a blessing to have something to get lost in at every waking moment. We’re working a lot and keeping sane somehow. We’re currently finishing ‘Good Time,’ this fugitive film charged by a warped perspective of brotherly love, which is going to be released sometime in 2017. We just finished writing the final draft of this pilot episode for a show called ‘Monger’ which we’re doing with Showtime and it’s been a comedic breath of fresh air,” he said. “We’re also gearing up to enter pre-production on a project we’ve spent many years writing, a thriller that takes place in New York City’s diamond district called ‘Uncut Gems,’ which is being produced by Emma Tillinger Koskoff and the ultimate film God Martin Scorsese.”
The Safdies doing a thriller in New York City’s diamond district? Yep, we’re in. And it sounds like cameras will be rolling on that sooner rather than later. So, lots to look forward to, and while you wait, head over to Le Cinema Club and check out that short film. It’s available for free through Saturday.