Every film directed by Pedro Almodóvar is a special event. He doesn’t seem to be capable of turning in something bland. For better or worse, often for better, the filmmaker presents features that are exciting, unique, and very much in his own voice. So, the idea that he was finally going to take that vision and bring it to an English-language feature, “A Manual for Cleaning Women,” which stars Cate Blanchett, was really compelling. Sadly, it doesn’t appear that it’ll actually happen.
According to Deadline, Pedro Almodóvar has decided to step away from the directing duties on “A Manual for Cleaning Women.” The film, which is based on short stories by author Lucia Berlin, was set to be the filmmaker’s English-language feature debut. However, after months of working on the project, Almodóvar feels that he’s not ready to tackle such an ambitious endeavor.
“It has been a very painful decision for me,” Almodóvar explained. “I have dreamt of working with Cate for such a long time. Dirty Films has been so generous with me this whole time and I was blinded by excitement, but unfortunately, I no longer feel able to fully realize this film.”
Producers Blanchett, Andrew Upton, and Coco Francini added, “We have the utmost respect for Pedro and his extraordinary body of work, and while the stars may not have aligned this time, we hope to collaborate with Pedro and El Deseo on another project in the future. Dirty Films’ passion for ‘A Manual for Cleaning Women’ and Lucia Berlin’s unique and searing voice – full of danger, joyousness and loss – has not dimmed, and we are excited to continue this project with our partners at New Republic.”
It’s unclear what’s next for the project. Obviously, Blanchett and her producing partners at Dirty Films are ready to keep going, but without a director attached, things have clearly stalled. Who will take over the job left by Almodóvar? And will that person be able to bring as much excitement as the Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker? Those are some hefty shoes to fill.
Alas, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens and hope that “A Manual for Cleaning Women” does move ahead with another great filmmaker attached.
