It has been seven years since the world premiere of 2014’s satirical drama Maps to the Stars, and it looks like acclaimed filmmaker David Cronenberg (The Fly) is finally making his directorial comeback with NEON’s upcoming Crimes of the Future. According to Deadline, Oscar-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart (Seberg), and Léa Seydoux (Spectre) have officially signed on to star in Cronenberg’s newest sci-fi thriller, which is expected to start its production this summer in Athens, Greece.
“To work with David Cronenberg is to embark on a journey exploring terrain where no one has gone before,” producer Robert Lantos said in a statement. “Each of our collaborations has been an exhilarating adventure and David’s unwavering vision is what real cinema is all about.”
The project marks the fourth collaboration between Mortensen and Cronenberg, who have worked together in award-winning films such as A History of Violence, and Eastern Promises. In addition, Scott Speedman, Welket Bungué, Don McKellar and Lihi Kornowski have also been cast for the film.
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Crimes of the Future will take a deep dive into the not-so-distant future where humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup. While some embrace the limitless potential of trans-humanism, others attempt to police it. Either way, “Accelerated Evolution Syndrome” is spreading fast.
Saul Tenser is a beloved performance artist who has embraced Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, sprouting new and unexpected organs in his body. Along with his partner Caprice, Tenser has turned the removal of these organs into a spectacle for his loyal followers to marvel at in real-time theatre. But with both the government and a strange subculture taking note, Tenser is forced to consider what would be his most shocking performance of all.
The film will be written and directed by David Cronenberg, which is the first original sci-fi script he has personally written in a long time since 1999’s eXistenZ. This project will also reunite Cronenberg with long-time collaborators, producer Robert Lantos (Crash), production designer Carol Spier (Dead Ringers), and Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore (A History of Violence)
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Crimes of the Future is a co-production by NEON, Serendipity Point Films, and Argonauts Productions. Producers are Steve Solomos and Argonauts’ Panos Papahadzis with Joe Iacono, Thorsten Schumacher, Peter Touche, Christelle Conan, Aida Tannyan, Victor Loewy and Victor Hadida set as executive producers. Bonnie Do and Laura Lanktree have also been set as associate producers.
Interestingly, the title of the new project will be familiar to the fans of Cronenberg’s earlier works. It also shares the same title as his 1970 sci-fi film, which was his follow-up project after his directorial debut film, Stereo.
