For a moment, it looked like Brian De Palma, 84, might have hung up his gloves and retired from filmmaking; health issues, associated with aging, and the added headache of whether an insurer would even find him able to run a set again were just too much to continue.
Yet in a new interview with Vulture, De Palma speaks of a new project that sounds like it might actually happen: “I have one other film I’m planning to make. And we’re in the process of trying to cast it. I can’t tell you what it is, until it happens. Then I’ll be very happy to announce it.”
It’s anybody’s guess what that film might be. De Palma’s last film was 2019’s “Domino” — which, like most of his 21st century output, was a critical and commercial failure. After that one got released, he immediately went to work on two projects. Both had scripts ready, and financing had been secured. Sadly, the insurance wasn’t
Those two projects were the crime-drama “Sweet Vengeance” — which was going to be shot in Spanish — and “Predator,” a Harvey Weinstein inspired horror film.
As far as I’m concerned, a new De Palma is great news. I’ll always abide by his church of filmmaking. He hasn’t necessarily gotten his due over the years, at least when compared to his higher profiled ‘70s peers (Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg). Noah Baumbach directed a wonderful doc about him in 2015, one which tried to reassess and reintroduce De Palma to a new generation of moviegoers. I highly recommend it.
Quentin Tarantino seems to be in agreement, and, last year, went that extra mile by implying that De Palma was more important a filmmaker than Scorsese and Spielberg. Strong words.
Throughout his career, De Palma was deemed heir to Hitchcock. You could immediately tell that you were watching a film directed by him. De Palma is indelibly known for his unusual camera angles and shot compositions — especially his famous usage of split-screen, tracking shots, slow-motion and the 360-degree camera pan. He’s an absolute auteur.
I don’t even know where to start when naming my favorite De Palma movies, there are so many good ones — “Carrie,” “Phantom of Paradise,” “Dressed to Kill”, “Blow Out”, “Scarface”, “Body Double”, “The Untouchables,” “Casualties of War,” “Carlito's Way”, “Mission: Impossible” … you choose.