Bennett Miller Set to Direct First Film Since 2014's ‘Foxcatcher'

Not counting his 1998 documentary, “The Cruise,” Bennett Miller has only directed three features in his strange, but fascinating filmmaking career: 2005’s “Capote,” 2011’s “Moneyball” and 2014’s “Foxcatcher.” All three were critically acclaimed.

Where exactly has Miller been all these years? Apparently, he’s gone down the rabbit hole and become obsessed with the advent of A.I. technology. I don’t blame him, it’s an endlessly fascinating topic.

Alex Berg’s Underexposed has just interviewed Miller, in correlation with the 25th anniversary of “The Cruise,” and Miller is confirming what I reported a few months back, that he’s working on a new film, with an actor attached to star and that prep work will be starting on it before the year is done.

I have to say, there is a film in the oven. And before the year is out, I will put the art down for a minute and we'll dive back into it. So, we’ll see how that goes, but there's something. There is a film […] With actors. There's even an actor attached to it already.

Miller had previously confirmed that the film would tackle A.I.

Well, my next film … I don’t know how much I should say … A.I. is a major theme in it. It’s probably not what one would imagine. I don’t know why [A.I.] is not the number one headline on top of every website and news. Anyways, this is going be one aspect of the film […] I’m working with a writer right now …

So, there you have it. Miller is finally making a new film, and it’s practically read to shoot. I would expect more details to surface in the coming weeks, especially concerning who that attached actor might be. Maybe it’s Brad Pitt? Miller and Pitt are good friends, and already collaborated, quite successfully, on 2011’s “Moneyball.”

You might also be wondering why it’s taken Miller this long to make another film. Well, he’s been spending these last 10 years (!!!) developing a documentary on “how technology has altered our realities in ways we know and more terrifyingly, don’t yet know.” Sadly, the doc, which features interviews with the likes of Henry Kissinger, Sam Altman, Dalai Lama, and Reid Hoffman, is currently in post-production limbo. Miller says it’s “frozen” due to lawsuits:

I'm hoping that it will get unfrozen, untied, and we can release it. It's very much a passion project as well, and with no particular reason, I feel pretty confident that it's going to make its way out, and it's not going to be an issue that time has passed since it was shot. It's, I think, getting stronger.

Miller recently opened his first exhibition at Gagosian, his works are composed of new black-and-white pigment prints that have been algorithmically generated by A.I. The photos are quite stunning.