Just a quick update on Brian De Palma’s “Sweet Vengeance,” which is set to shoot this May in Portugal, with an expected 2027 release. The director of photography was originally supposed to be veteran José Luis Alcaine, but he has been replaced.
According to Folha de São Paulo, the talented Pedro Sotero (“Bacurau,” “Aquarius”) has taken over. Furthermore, costume designer Cláudia Kopke, who worked on the Oscar-nominated “I’m Still Here,” will also be part of the team behind “Sweet Vengeance.”
I see Sotero’s involvement as a significant creative upgrade for the project. Known for his striking use of natural light, he has been a key collaborator of Kleber Mendonça Filho, helping define the bold, atmospheric look of films like “Neighbouring Sounds,” “Aquarius” and “Bacurau.” He’s an intriguing match for De Palma’s stylized approach to suspense and psychological tension.
First announced in 2018, “Sweet Vengeance” is said to be “inspired by two true stories of murders” and by true-crime content: “I’m interested in how they tell the story of the crime, so I’ll do it the way [they] do on television.”
A cast has yet to be announced for the film. Will it be in English? Portuguese? We still don’t know. Given that production is expected to begin four months from now, I gather producer Rodrigo Teixeira has already found most of his actors. We’ll have to stay tuned for more.
De Palma turned 85 this year. His last film, 2019’s “Domino,” was a critical and commercial failure. I tried to give it a rewatch recently, and although the climactic setpiece was wonderful, the rest of the film certainly wasn’t.
A master of suspense, De Palma’s most notable films include “Carrie,” “Dressed to Kill,” “Blow Out,” “Scarface,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Body Double,” “The Untouchables,” “Casualties of War,” “Phantom of the Paradise,” and “Mission: Impossible.”