What’s next for Claire Denis after she shoots the upcoming “The Cry Of The Guards“? Variety reports that the revered French auteur has a new project making the rounds at the Berlinale‘s EFM, and it returns Denis to territory she last traversed in 2001’s “Trouble Every Day.”
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But “The Soap Maker” sounds like more than a cannibalistic crime drama; it’s also a remake and a new take by Denis on the true crime genre. On paper, that sounds fantastic, as Denis has made a career out of dissecting and deconstructing genres to remake them anew. And the thrillers in Denis’s filmography are among her best, like 2013’s “Bastards,” or the little-seen “I Can’t Sleep” from 1994, also about a real-life murderer.
A remake of Mauro Bolognini‘s 1977 film “Gran Bollito,” “The Soap Maker” is based on Italian serial killer Leonarda Cianciulli, who murdered three women in the late 1930s and early 1940s, disposing of their bodies with chemicals and using the leftover to make soaps, candles, cookies, and cakes she sold to fellow Correggio residents. Along with Bolognini’s “Gran Bollito” screenplay, Denis will also use Cianciulli’s diary from her time in psychiatric prison as a reference, specifically the witchcraft Leonardo alleges that she used to attract her victims. Denis plans to shot “The Soap Maker” in Italy in English; her only other English-language film is 2018’s “High Life.”
Gerry Pass produces “The Soap Maker” via Chrome Entertainment, with CAA pitching the project to buyers at EFM. Lucas Foster and Salvtaore Sclafani will also produce the picture. Promotional material for the project at Berlin describes the film as an elevated crime drama similar to “Silence Of The Lambs,” “Se7en,” and “Get Out,” but Denis will no doubt bring her singular flair to the material. As for who will star in “The Soap Maker”? No news on that front yet, but expect some Denis regulars in the cast.
But Denis has to make”The Cry Of The Guards” first before “The Soap Maker,” which she’s already shooting. The Africa-set drama stars Tom Blyth, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Matt Dillon, and Isaach De Bankolé, about a man who heads to sub-Saharan Africa to pick up his brother’s dead body after an industrial accident. It’s Denis’ first film since 2022’s “The Stars At Noon,” which many critics regard as a rare misfire in her filmography.
Given her shooting schedule for “The Cry Of The Guards,” don’t expect Denis to start work on “The Soap Maker” until 2026, with a 2027 festival bow likely for the film.
