Well, that was quick.
Production on David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds” began mid-May in Toronto and has just wrapped filming. That’s a month of production, in and out. At 80 years of age, David Cronenberg is as efficient as ever.
The film was originally supposed to start production this past March, but casting issues resulted in minor delays. Léa Seydoux was replaced by Diane Kruger. Viggo Mortensen had been rumored to be in it, but he finally was not.
We reported In April that Kruger was added to the cast, replacing Seydoux. Deadline credited our scoop (thank you), and also mentioned that Guy Pearce had been added. They both star alongside Vincent Cassel in Cronenberg’s sci-fi film which takes place in a world where people can watch their deceased relatives decaying in real-time.
Cronenberg had mentioned to me, when I interviewed him last year, that ‘Shrouds’ was part of an aborted Netflix project. Supposedly, the streaming giant got cold feet after reading the second episode. The film is being co-produced by Saïd Ben Saïd.
Cronenberg might have been hinting at retirement last decade, with no film released in eight years, but the legendary 80-year-old Canadian director was not done. Thank the cinematic heavens. He premiered “Crimes of the Future” at Cannes last May and now has this latest one ready to go — probably also premiering at Cannes 2024.
At last year’s San Sebastián Film Festival, Cronenberg admitted that he almost quit making films and he was very serious about it. “I thought I was finished, but I hope to commit more crimes in the future, by making more films,” he stated. I’m already hearing he has another project lined up to shoot next year.