Legendary horror auteur David Cronenberg is bringing his creepy talents to the small screen.
The Canadian director, who is in Italy to be honored at the Venice Film Festival with a lifetime achievement award, has announced his intentions to helm a personal, long-form television series, but he steered away from giving any details about its content.
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Cronenberg’s leap from a big-screen career, one that stretches back to his cult hit Shivers in the 1970s, follows a trend that has seen more and more directors transitioning to prestige television series. He was reportedly offered the chance to direct the second season of HBO’s True Detective, but turned it down because he didn’t like the script. With the opportunity to do things his own way, Cronenberg’s interest in the medium appears to be piqued.
The filmmaker’s movies have taken something of a turn in recent years, departing from his signature body-horror features to projects that have received wider releases and attention from the awards circuit, such as A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Recent remarks about how the theater experience is dying and his lack of concern about it, as well as his comments about the art of filmmaking “evolving,” seem to have foreshadowed a step beyond high-art films and toward television.
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“Today TV screens are getting bigger and bigger and therefore the difference between theatre and domestic viewing has become really flimsy,” Cronenberg said. “The rule used to be that closeup shots were only done for TV, and not for movies. But today that’s no longer the case.”
No word yet on when to expect specifics on Cronenberg’s project, but there’s little doubt that the Dead Ringers director will be bringing his A-game to freak us all out as soon as he’s ready.
(via Variety)