UPDATE: The Independent is reporting that Lars Von Trier’s “After” will be shooting this summer. As for how the filmmaker is holding up, “Lars is doing well under the circumstances,” producer Louise Vesth tells the outlet.
Last month, producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen revealed first details on the film, albeit very cryptically, but it sounds like Von Trier’s recent bout with Parkinson’s and his mortality will be taking center stage in the film (via Ekko)
Lars is developing the feature film “After,” which is about death and life after death, and it is not in danger.
Given his condition, Von Trier now lives part-time at a nursing home, according to Jensen, but he promises that will not deter the filmmaker from making the film which is well on its way to shooting maybe later this year.
EARLIER: Big update with regards to Lars Von Trier's next film. It just received funding from the Danish Film Institute, as revealed by the AFP. The title of the film is "After," and Von Trier is also writing it. I’m told this is going to shoot during Q3 next year. No word yet on casting.
I’ve been tracking this project ever since May, that’s when a Euro-based producer had mentioned to me that Lars Von Trier was working on a new film. His lips were otherwise sealed when it came to details about the project. I was told a script was ready and that, if we’re lucky, Von Trier would set out to shoot the film later this year.
Stellan Skarsgård, who has collaborated with Von Trier on five films, recently told an Italian outlet Von Trier was definitely working on something. The actor stated that even though Von Trier has Parkinson's, “it’s getting better, now that he can be treated. So much so that he is making a new film.”
Last we heard from Von Trier, he was looking for a “girlfriend/muse” on Instagram. Then, a week later, he got into trouble for posting “Russia Lives matter also!” in regard to the War in Ukraine. I don’t think he’s posted anything on IG since. Maybe social media isn’t the best place for Von Trier. Where he should be is behind the camera, that’s why we love him.
In the fall of 2022, Von Trier announced that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 66. It was shattering news. He’s one of the great filmmakers of the last 30 or so years, definitely one of the most influential. With that, he also announced that he was “taking a break” from directing.
Last August, Von Trier had stated that “with any luck I should still have a few decent movies left in me”. He hasn’t directed a film since 2018’s “The House That Jack Built,” an unfairly maligned 3-hour dark comedy about the most despicable serial killer ever put on film, played by Matt Dillon. It was provocative, disgusting, fearless, trolling — Von Trier’s best traits.
Von Trier established himself as one of the great directors of cinema, his influence can be seen everywhere, and that’s thanks to films such as “Breaking the Waves,” “Melancholia,” “Dancer in the Dark” and “Dogville.”