Over the past several years, Paul Schrader has experienced a massive resurgence. No longer just a legendary screenwriter from decades past, he has become one of the most interesting and relevant filmmakers working today, even though many at his age are either retired or lesser versions of themselves, creatively. And it appears Schrader isn’t slowing down anytime soon, as he is currently in production on “Oh Canada,” and apparently, already has a new film already lined up for Netflix. However, Schrader is unsure if it’s even appropriate for him to direct the latter.
Speaking to La Monde, Paul Schrader talked about his future, particularly speaking about a new script he recently finished. The film, which is called “Three Guns at Dawn,” is a “noir” about three Black men in Los Angeles. But even though his producing partner, Antoine Fuqua, thinks he should direct it, Schrader is conflicted. Not because he can’t do it, but because he shouldn’t do it.
“And I wrote a ‘noir’ screenplay, ‘Three Guns at Dawn,’” explained Schrader. “Three brothers in the African-American neighborhood of South Central, Los Angeles. One is a cop, the second a trafficker, and the third a serial killer. I wrote it during the strike; I had a lot of doubts. Is this cultural appropriation? Producer Antoine Fuqua, one of the stars of Black cinema, reassured me. He sold it to Netflix; he wants me to direct it.”
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“For my part, I am divided,” he added. “At the time of my first film, ‘Blue Collar,’ there were few Black filmmakers. Filming Black people in leading roles was already seen as progress. Today, there are hundreds of Black filmmakers. It would undoubtedly be more appropriate to co-direct ‘Three Guns at Dawn’ with a Black man. When I started, gay people couldn’t play gay roles. Today, it’s the opposite: according to some, Bradley Cooper would no longer be legitimate to play a Jew or a gay. When Shakespeare wrote ‘Othello,’ men played women or Black roles. Where was the problem?”
This sort of statement really lines up with Schrader’s outspoken opinions about political correctness in popular culture today. He is something of a hot-take machine on Facebook, where he posts his thoughts about current films, controversial figures, and just about everything else in-between. So, as an accomplished filmmaker, who has seen the culture grow over the decades, he isn’t sure what to do with ‘Three Guns.’ It’s clear he has interest in directing it, but he also recognizes that it might not be his place to do so. At the very least, it would appear he’s interested in co-directing alongside a Black filmmaker, which would be an intriguing prospect, no doubt.
Regardless, a new Schrader film—directing, co-directing, or just writing—is a welcome thing. And with Fuqua apparently on board, we’re excited to see what happens with this project.
