Am I seeing this right? A listing on Production Weekly has Richard Kelly starting production on a new film this fall. No title, casting or plot details were revealed in the listing. His longtime creative partner Ted Hamm is producing this one. I’ve contacted Kelly’s reps for more details.
It was just yesterday that I reported about Kelly’s recent claim that he was working on ten different projects, and that he had “enough screenplay material to last me for the rest of my life.” He added his “readiness to move out of the writing phase and back into the directing phase.”
There’s never been any question that Kelly wants to direct again, he very much wants to make movies and there’s been clear attempts at doing just that, but his wild ambitions, and refusal to adhere to studio restrictions, have paved the way for many hurdles these last two decades.
As we speak, Kelly has only helmed three films in 25 years, including “Donnie Darko” and “Southland Tales.” His last one was released in 2009 (“The Box”) and, I guess, ever since then he’s been writing. If the PW listing is accurate, and I’m willing to bet it is, then Kelly might be directing his first film in well over 15 years this fall.
Just five Cannes competition titles still seek U.S. distribution, four of them subpar, all French. The fifth, and easily the best film still without US studio attachment, is Ira Sachs’ “The Man I Love.”