Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg revealed additional cast and shoot details about his next feature, The Shrouds, during a press conference at San Sebastian International Film Festival, where he has been given the festival’s honorary Donostia Award.
French star Lea Seydoux is joining the cast, alongside the previously announced French actor Vincent Cassel, although Cronenberg insisted: “It’s not a French film.” Seydoux also stars in Cronenberg’s latest body horror feature, Cannes premiere Crimes Of The Future, which is screening at San Sebastian.
“It’s a very personal project for me,” said Cronenberg of The Shrouds. “People who know me will know what parts of it are autobiographical.”
The feature is set to shoot in spring 2023 in Cronenberg’s hometown of Toronto.
As previously announced, Cassel, who worked with Cronenberg on Eastern Promises and Dangerous Method, will play a businessman who builds a device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud. FilmNation and CAA Media Finance handle sales, while SBS Productions and Prospero Pictures produce.
Cronenberg admitted he almost gave up making films eight years ago. “I thought I was finished,” he said. However, he confirmed: “I hope to commit more crimes in the future, by making more films.”
He is interested in further pursuing grassroots approaches to filmmaking. “I’ve always been interested in access to technology. You can now make quite a good movie with your phone – if it’s a good phone,” he said. “There were some moments in Crimes Of The Future that were shot with an iPhone.”
The filmmaker described himself as “the junior scientist” with a continued desire to explore “bodies modifying under technology”.
Related Post: Vincent Cassel to star in new film ‘The Shrouds’ written and directed by David Cronenberg.
