Writer-director Mark Romanek was part of our list of the great filmmakers who’ve barely directed any movies. Although he’s had a legendary music video career (“Hurt” “99 Problems”), Romanek has also managed to direct three critically acclaimed films: 1985’s “Static,” 2002’s “One Hour Photo” and 2010’s “Never Let Me Go.” That’s about it — three films in almost forty years.
The 63-year-old filmmaker announced in April 2021 that he was about to make his first film in over a decade, this one a horror film titled “Mother Land.” Having not heard much about this project since it was announced last year, I decided to message Romanek and get an update. He tells me he’s no longer attached to it. In fact, Alexandre Aja is now set to direct “Mother Land.”
If you haven’t seen any of Romanek’s films, a good starting point would be “One Hour Photo” which features one of Robin Williams’ very best performances and is meticulously, almost obsessively, directed. Each and every frame of this film is obsessively constructed. It took Romanek 13 months to edit the entire film.
Romanek has had so many projects fall by the wayside over his career, and I recommend a great interview he gave to Kevin Jagernauth back in 2013. He gives a lot of insight as to his thought process and rigorous work ethic. There aren’t many artists like him out there.