Here come one of my favorite filmmakers of the 21st Century — Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The folks over at IONCINEMA are hinting that we might have to circle a Cannes 2025 invite for their next film.
Casting is currently underway for what is an August to October 2024 shoot. No word yet on the title or synopsis, but, knowing the Dardennes, it will probably be another socio-realist drama set in their native Belgium. As IONCINEMA states, they’ll probably opt for their usual casting of non-professional actors.
According to a casting call, It seems they are again looking for a lead actor in their late teens to possibly fill the lead role — the same criteria for their last three films: 2016’s “The Unknown Girl”, 2019’s “Young Ahmed” and 2023’s “Tori and Lokita”.
In case you need a brief catch-up, the Dardennes are the filmmakers behind two Palme d’Or winners: 1999’s “Rosetta” and 2005’s “L’Enfant.” Their other notable films include “Two Days, One Night,” “The Kid with a Bike,” and “The Son.”
Speaking of their last film, “Tori et Lokita,” which surely belongs on my 20 best list of the last year, it was another absorbing film from them, and even garnered the attention of a certain Martin Scorsese. He went as far as to pen a published letter to Variety, where he pointed out his admiration for their latest work:
TORI AND LOKITA is one of the most devastating cinematic experiences I’ve had in a long time. I’ve always admired the way that Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne make movies—their mastery is inseparable from their spiritual and ethical commitment to their characters, trying to make their way through an unforgiving world. TORI AND LOKITA is one of the Dardennes’ most harrowing films, and it’s also one of their greatest.
The film might not have been on the same level as their very best work, but it came close, again, proving how effective they are behind the camera, constantly luring us into these blue-collar worlds they meticulously create.
It was exactly what I expected from the Dardennes, they are excellent storytellers and their camera always seems to be in the right place. ’Tori,’ much like most of their films, is a story about survival and you feel the desperation in almost every single minute. It was utterly gripping.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.