There’s been quite a bit of buzz about how Taylor Swift, whose expertise is making music and selling out stadiums, is actually a good director.
Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto had already called her an “excellent director” and hinted that her feature directorial debut was coming soon.
Now “Deadpool 3” director Shawn Levy is banging the drums for Swift, comparing her to none other than Steven Spielberg. In an EW interview, he goes as far as to say that she’s a “creative force.” Music wise? Sure. But all Swift’s done is direct music videos. Let’s wait and see. Here’s Levy:
“That list is short. Taylor, the depth of her vision for how she wants a creative piece to be, whether it’s a lyric, a melody, a bridge, a concert tour, a video, it’s profound. It’s profoundly vivid, and she has the strength of her convictions […] Spielberg was on the set of a movie he produced that I directed, called Real Steel, and I said to him, ‘How do you know it’s the right shot?’ His answer was, ‘The way you see it, that makes it right. I feel like that’s something Taylor Swift has figured out really well, because that’s about trusting your instinct.”
This push is to turn Swift into a legitimate filmmaker. She had announced her Searchlight-produced directorial debut with an original script, written by her, last December. How serious is this? Very serious. It’s happening.
The praise stemming from the industry does seem genuine. Some people probably don’t know this, but Swift has directed 18 music videos so far in her career. Whether that’ll translate into a successful filmmaking career is a whole other story. The part that worries me most is that she wrote the screenplay for this mysterious movie of hers.
Swift is likely to continue touring until, at least, next summer, so production will likely not start before the third quarter of 2024.