Asghar Farhadi has built a career out of making breathtaking family dramas. With "About Elly," "A Separation," "The Past," and "The Salesman," the Iranian-born writer-director has easily cemented his name on the shortlist of modern world-class directors. I can count these rare and incisively talented filmmakers in less than two hands. So it came as a major disappointment to dislike the 46-year-old director’s last film, the Spanish-language drama "Everybody Knows," which I saw at Cannes 2018. It was a half-decent whodunnit affair, but we've come to expect much more from the Iranian-born director. Sometimes, expectations really do dictate how you feel about a film. This was the perfect example.
Regardless, there is absolutely no reason to not anticipate a new work from Farhadi and, according to Deadline, it’s coming much sooner than previously thought. The two-time Oscar winner is heading into production on a new film titled “A Hero” which has its eyes set for a Cannes 2021 bow:
“The Farsi-language project will enter pre-production in two months and is due to shoot in Shiraz, Iran, this summer. Paris-based Memento Films International will launch world sales next week at the EFM in Berlin, where it is sure to be among the most prized arthouse projects in the market.”
Plot details are being kept under wraps on the film, which marks a return to Iran and his native language. We hear the drama is suspenseful – in keeping with Farhadi’s oeuvre – and that the director will be working with well known Iranian actors who haven’t worked with him before. “A Hero” will be the 9th feature length-film of Farhadi’s career. As mentioned, his last film was 2018’s “Everybody Knows” starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
The man doesn't stop. James Gunn has confirmed he's already hard at work writing his next film, even as ‘Man of Tomorrow’ makes its way toward theaters next summer.