Elaine May hasn’t made a narrative film in over 32 years. The unfairly ill-received “Ishtar” broke her. However, the legendary ‘70s filmmaker is ready to direct again, with the Dakota Johnson-starrer “Crackpot.”
Five years ago, May had cast Johnson. We didn’t know much else about the project, including plot details and what the rest of the cast might look like. We’ve had total radio silence on this project now for five years, and May hasn’t gotten any younger — she’s now 92.
However, we finally have an update. X user Ben Mekler begged anyone interviewing Johnson, on her Madame Web promo run, to ask about “Crackpot”. Enter, Brazilian journalist Thiago Gelli who did just that. It turns out, there’s some good news coming our way. Here’s what Johnson said:
We are trying to get that done. It’s so hard to get any movies made ever, at all, but I’m producing it and Elaine will direct it and I’ll star in it, and we’re working on casting.”
This is very exciting news for those of us who’ve loved May’s unique brand of cinema. Despite having only directed four narrative films – 1971’s “A New Leaf”, 1972’s “The Heartbreak Kid”, 1976’s “Mikey and Nicky”, and 1987’s “Ishtar” – May is a total legend of maverick ‘70s American movies. Let’s hope this one happens.