Director David Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen have teamed up for three films: 2005’sA History of Violence, 2007’sEastern Promises, and 2011’sA Dangerous Method. Now they are teaming up for the fourth time for Cronenberg’s new original screenplay,Crimes of the Future.
Crimes of the Futureis anoriginal science-fiction filmset in a future where humans learning to adapt to their synthetic surroundings is causing them to go into metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup. Performance artist Saul Tenser is one of the people who has embraced “Accelerated Evolution Syndrome” and is sprouting new organs in his body. He and his partner Caprice turn the removal of his organs into a theatre spectacle, and the government and a strange sub-culture start taking note.
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Crime of the Futurewill star Mortensen in the role of Saul Tenser. The film willalso be starring Kristen Stewart, Lea Seydoux, and Scott Speedman. Robert Lantos, who has worked with Cronenberg several times before, is producing the film, saying, “To work with David Cronenberg is to embark on a journey exploring terrain where no one has gone before. Each of our collaborations has been an exhilarating adventure and David’s unwavering vision is what real cinema is all about.” Lantos previously collaborated with Cronenberg on 1996’sCrash,eXistenZ,andEastern Promises, the last of which also starred Mortensen. Of course, prior to working with Cronenberg onA History of ViolenceandEastern Promises, Mortensen portrayed Aragorn inPeter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy.
In a statement, Cronenberg said, “I have unfinished business with the future.” His last original science fiction script was foreXistenz. Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, and Ian Holm,eXistenzfollowed a game designer in the future who is targeted by assassins while playinga virtual reality gameshe created. While very different fromCrimes of the Future, they both are conceptually ambitious and set in a dark near-future.eXistenzwas generally well-received by critics and scored awards on the film festival circuit, though it did lose a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film toThe Matrix.
Crimes of the Futureis set to begin filming in the summer of 2021, beginning production in Athens, Greece. It is backed by Neon and Serendipity Point Films, with Neon distributing in the United States. The film production will include more of Cronenberg’s previous collaborators, including production designer Carol Spier and composer Howard Shore.
Mortensen is currently filming Ron Howard’sThirteen Livesin Australia and Thailand.Also starring Colin Farrelland Joel Edgerton, the movie is a biographical survival drama chronicling the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, where a junior football team and their coach were trapped in a cave for eighteen days.
Crime of the Futuredoes not have an announced release date at this time.
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