Just as Park Chan-Wook will soon provide his singular vision in a language other than his own to the upcoming film “Stoker,” another notable director with no short supply of eccentric sensibilities, Yorgos Lanthimos, has recently announced three upcoming projects to feature an English-speaking cast.
Lanthimos' third feature, “Alps” is set to hit New York theatres July 13th, and during the film's press tour he spoke to Indiewire about his busy slate, noting that two of the projects are original, and the other is an offered gig. "The only thing I can say is that they're all very different," he said.
Luckily, that statement turned about to be half-untrue, because Lanthimos then went on to drop some details on exactly what those diverse upcoming projects would be. Kept under wraps at this point were a book adaptation and the for-hire directing job, “a British period film” according to Lanthimos, but more intriguing are plans for the third, a sci-fi/fantasy film. The project will find the director re-teaming with his “Dogtooth” and “Alps” co-writer Efthymis Filippou, and is said rightly to be a larger-scale effort, but with a similar tone, likely meaning wryly disturbing with a stylized form of tension that lingers throughout.
Lanthimos' previous work has always focused on behavior and ritual, and the psychology involve in both, so a sci-fi film sounds perfectly suited to an artist intent on reflecting society's current issues, along with his signature jet-black humor. And if it appears these films would artistically drain Lanthimos' mana, if you will, plans to direct a short in the U.K. before beginning the three features proves otherwise. "I want to do something creative and not just deal with the practicalities of making the films," he said, almost describing his past efforts as paint-by-number affairs, which they are distinctively not, but any excuse for more work from the director is welcome, whatever the format.
