Paul Schrader, 79, has had his fair share of health issues over the past few years — too many to name — but his persistence in making cinema hasn’t diminished.
In July, Schrader wrapped filming “The Basics of Philosophy,” starring Jack Huston, a film centered on a university philosophy professor and shot in the stylistic mold of Schrader’s “Man in a Room” trilogy: “First Reformed,” “The Card Counter,” and “Master Gardener.”
The filmmaker is currently in Japan, screening his ’80s biopic “Mishima,” a dazzling and controversial portrait of Japanese author Yukio Mishima that was banned in Japan upon its release due to intense political and cultural sensitivities surrounding Mishima himself. It’s finally being shown there — 40 years later.
Speaking to Variety for the occasion, Schrader reflected on numerous topics, including his fascination with AI — which I’ve already written about — and, more pertinently, mortality and the years he has left as a filmmaker. It turns out that with “The Basics of Philosophy” already complete and eyeing a 2026 release, he plans to shoot two more films next year:
Yeah, I have scripts finished, and uh, yeah, when I go back I’ll do the final mix on the latest one. We’re doing the color correction right now and I’m going to do the final mix next week. It looks like I have two films set up for next year. If, of course, my health holds up, you know.
Health is the key here. Schrader has had a rough streak of scares in recent years — from respiratory failure to pneumonia to a detached retina. Hell, he shot 2022’s ‘Master Gardener’ while carrying an oxygen tank. Suffice it to say, he knows there’s a finality to making cinema, but he refuses to quit:
I’m at that age where you’re one phone call away. You know when the doctor says, ‘Oh, would you come by?’ You never know, right? It’s happened to a lot of my friends. My good friend Russell Banks. And David Lynch was my age. It wouldn’t be a surprise, you know? I had a very rich and productive life. I just want to make a couple more. I mean, you just keep going, right?
Now, what exactly the two projects Schrader plans to shoot in 2026 might be is anyone’s guess. However, one of them is likely the long-gestating film noir he’s been teasing — originally set to film in 2024 before undergoing rewrites — titled “Non Compos Mentis,” a story said to delve into themes of sexual obsession.
Suffice it to say, Schrader’s six-decade filmmaking career has been quite the journey. Beyond his own directorial efforts, he’s penned some of the most iconic scripts in American cinema — “Taxi Driver,” and “Raging Bull,” not to mention “Rolling Thunder,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” and “Bringing Out the Dead.”
If I had to make a list of his best films as a director, it would have to include “Blue Collar,” “Mishima,” “Affliction,” “Auto Focus,” and “First Reformed.” May he continue on.