Getting a film made when it doesn’t involve superheroes or isn’t part of a larger franchise is growing more and more difficult in Hollywood. Even when you have an Oscar-caliber people attached, such as director Todd Haynes and star Michelle Williams, getting financing for a film is just increasingly hard to do. So, in the case of the film, “Fever,” the film isn’t getting made, at this point in time, but the interest is there from the two aforementioned folks. It’s just finding someone who is willing to give them the cash to make it that is holding it back.
In a new interview with IndieWire, while attending the NYFF screening of his new film, “May December,” filmmaker Todd Haynes offered up an update for his long-in-development Peggy Lee biopic, “Fever.” The last we heard of the film, it was effectively dead after financing fell through. It appears that is definitely the case now, but Haynes is still excited by the prospect of actually getting it into production… at some point.
“When it couldn’t happen — when we thought it could happen and it was close to pre-production — it was tough,” Haynes said about “Fever.” “It’s still a tender spot for all of us. We really put so much time and thought into it. And then I just had all of these other projects lined up that I was very excited to divert my energies into. But look, the interest in the subject hasn’t gone away. The amazement with the subject and her art hasn’t gone away. And the desire to work with Michelle again hasn’t gone away.”
Again, it’s a little crazy to think that a filmmaker like Todd Haynes struggles to find financing for a new film starring Michelle Williams, but here we are. This is the world we’re in, with an industry dominated by box office desires, which leads to an increasing reliance on IP-driven content. A world where “Fever,” which would almost certainly be in awards season discussions (depending on the quality, obviously), is effectively dead because there just isn’t a studio or financier willing to take a chance on it.
Alas, it does appear the interest is there from Haynes and Williams. So, perhaps the filmmaker can find a studio willing to help bring it to life at some point. Of course, that isn’t likely going to happen anytime soon, as Haynes is currently planning to begin production on a new film starring Joaquin Phoenix whenever the SAG strike comes to an end. We also can’t forget about the Kate Winslet-led project he is supposedly working on, as well. But, no matter how small, the hope remains that “Fever” could still see the light of day in the future.
