Back in April, Damien Chazelle set up his supposedly next film with Paramount, this one rumored to take place in a prison. It was described as a “mid-budget” drama with action elements (via Deadline). He was supposed to shoot it this fall, but did he suddenly get cold feet?
Based on this interview with Vanity Fair, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of “Whiplash,” it sounds like Chazelle now has two projects that he’s working on simultaneously, and hasn't decided which one he is committing to yet.
My mind is all still figuring itself out in terms of what’s next. I’ve definitely been working on this thing that I might be jumping into—but there’s another thing I might be jumping into. There’s two things that I’m toying with, so I need to commit to one lane or the other fast.
Chazelle’s last film, “Babylon,” tanked at the box-office, making $63 million against a production budget of a little under $100 million. “Babylon” ultimately lost Paramount an estimated $87 million. Oddly enough, it was a huge hit in France, with both critics and audiences.
Earlier this year, Chazelle had mentioned almost being done writing a new script and that, although he was about to pitch it to a studio, an uncertainty lingered in his head as to how Hollywood would welcome him back into fold after “Babylon.”
Chazelle’s previous credits as a director include “Whiplash,” “La La Land,” and “First Man.” His “Babylon,” although flawed, was this great and maddening cinematic vision that didn’t deserve the hate that it received.
Reeves is supposed to direct, David E. Kelley is writing, and just like that, Apple got cold feet — the usual “creative differences” excuse is being cited in the report, and maybe that was indeed the case.