david cronenberg c nifff

Source: NIFFF

David Cronenberg

In a tantalising package, David Cronenberg will direct Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart in sci-fi Crimes Of The Future, Neon and Serendipity Point Films announced on Thursday (April 29).

Crimes Of The Future is based on Cronenberg’s first original screenplay since eXistenZ in 1999 and sees the Canadian auteur return to his familiar sci-fi stomping ground. “I have unfinished business with the future,” he said.

Neon will distribute in the US and MK2 | Mile End will release in Canada, with Rocket Science handling international sales.

Principal photography is scheduled to commence in August in Athens, Greece, on the Serendipity Point Films and Argonauts co-production. The Canada-Greece co-production is produced in association with Ingenious Media, Coficine, and Telefilm Canada, with the support of EKOME.

Crimes Of The Future takes place in a near-future where humans are learning to adapt to synthetic surroundings and are evolving. While some embrace the limitless potential of transhumanism, others attempt to police it.

Saul Tenser is a 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 enjoy in real time theatre.

But as the government and a strange subculture takes note, Tenser must consider what would be his most shocking performance of all. Scott Speedman (Barney’s Version, Adoration), Welket Bungué (Berlin Alexanderplatz), Don McKellar (Blindness, Existenz), and Lihi Kornowski (Losing Alice) are also on board.

Mortensen previously worked with Cronenberg on Eastern Promises and A History Of Violence. Seydoux’s credits include Blue Is The Warmest Color, and the upcoming James Bond thriller No Time To Die, and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. Stewart’s credits include Clouds Of Sils Maria, Twilight franchise, and the upcoming Spencer with Neon.

Cronenberg reunites for the fourth time with producer Robert Lantos of Serendipity Point after Eastern Promises, Existenz, and Crash.

“To work with David Cronenberg is to embark on a journey exploring terrain where no-one has gone before,” said Lantos. “Each of our collaborations has been an exhilarating adventure and David’s unwavering vision is what real cinema is all about.”

Steve Solomos (Possessor) is co-producer, and Panos Papahadzis (Knifer, Stratus) is co-producer for Athens-based Argonauts Productions. Executive producers include Joe Iacono, Thorsten Schumacher, Peter Touche, Christelle Conan, Aida Tannyan, Victor Loewy, and Victor Hadida.