It turns out Julia Ducournau’s next film will be “Alpha.” The cast includes Golshifteh Farahani (“Paterson”) as well as César award-winning Tahar Rahim (“A Prophet”). Today it was announced that Neon, who boarded Ducournau’s Palme-winning “Titane,” will distribute the film.
“Alpha,” described as Ducournau’s “most personal, profound work yet,” is set to shoot this fall in France, and no doubt aiming for a 2025 premiere at Cannes (I’ll have a little more about that below).
Officially speaking, no plot details have been revealed. However, I’ve been given some tidbits about what the film might be about. Alpha, it turns out, is the name of the main protagonist, an 11-year-old girl who might have supernatural powers. Her parents will be played by Farahami and Rahim.
It’s been three years since Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning “Titane,” which resulted in polarized reactions at Cannes 2021. Even the Telluride Film Festival rejected the film. I dug its midnight movie vibes. It’s also well worth checking out Ducournau’s first feature, 2017’s “Raw.” I interviewed her for that one, little did she know that she’d become a Palme d’Or winner a few years later. You could see the makings of genuine talent when watching that film.
It should also be noted that Ducournau is working on her own TV series with A24, but that one is still in the very early stages of development.
Now, Cannes 2025. This is turning into what could be the most packed edition in the fest’s history. Full of A-list auteurs. So far, filmmakers that could be aiming for a Cannes 2025 bow with their new films include Ducournau, Almodovar, Malick, Jarmusch, Lanthimos, Zvyagintsev, Refn, Ostlund, Wes Anderson, Trier, Spike Lee, Haynes, Aster, Dardenne, Weerasethakul, Linklater, Park, Lapid, Serra, Saleh, Bi Gan, Chomet, Ben Hania, DR Mitchell, Nemes, and Mundruczo.
I bet I’m missing a few more names here. I haven’t even included Paul Thomas Anderson, who is currently shooting his next film, which has an August 2025 release date.
The ‘Smile’ franchise has a new director. David Bruckner, who made “The Night House” and the 2022 “Hellraiser” reboot, has been hired to direct “Smile 3” for Paramount.