We are just over a week away from the official unveiling of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival lineup. In the last couple of weeks, there’s been a ton of speculation about which films would show up, with names like Tarantino, Almodovar, and Bong Joon-ho being thrown around. But it appears that neither of those filmmakers will have the opening night slot. According to a new report from Variety, that distinction is going to go to Jim Jarmusch.
The report says that Jarmusch’s latest film, the highly-anticipated “The Dead Don’t Die,” is set to be the opening night film at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and will compete for the Palme d’Or, as well. The film is a dark comedy that follows a local police officer and his partner as the town is overrun by zombies. This might not sound like typical Cannes fare, but the filmmaker has a strong history with the French film festival.
Jarmusch has spent a lot of time at Cannes over the years. His last film, “Paterson,” debuted at the prestigious event back in 2016. In addition to that film, the director has seen films like “Broken Flowers,” “Only Lovers Left Alive,” “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai,” “Dead Man,” “Mystery Train” and “Down by Law” all debut at the film festival. Way back in 1993, Jarmusch’s short film “Coffee and Cigarettes: Somewhere in California” won the Short Film Palme d’Or.
“The Dead Don’t Die” stars Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Rosie Perez, Danny Glover, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, and Caleb Landry Jones, among other big names.
If the report is accurate, “The Dead Don’t Die” will debut at Cannes on May 14 before its US release on June 14. Update: Confirmed by Universal Pictures France and they should know.
Un casting à réveiller les morts ! 😱 Découvrez l'affiche de #TheDeadDontDie, écrit et réalisé par #JimJarmusch 🙌 Le film sortira au cinéma le 14 mai, jour de sa présentation en sélection officielle pour l'ouverture du @Festival_Cannes. pic.twitter.com/jT4Y9ZLwN7
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalFR) April 10, 2019
