Paul Schrader’s “The Basics of Philosophy” has added notable backing ahead of its Venice Film Festival debut, with Martin Scorsese joining as an executive producer.
This marks another reunion for the longtime collaborators, who previously worked together on “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” and “The Last Temptation of Christ,” with Scorsese also serving as an executive producer on Schrader’s 2021 film “The Card Counter.”
We also have our first look at the film, which can be seen above — featuring Huston and Boutella.
Written and directed by Schrader, ‘Basics’ stars Jack Huston, Sofia Boutella, Daniel Zovatto, Bill Pullman, Dana Delany, Shiloh Fernandez, and Karl Glusman. Huston plays a troubled philosophy professor haunted by a decision from his past, only to have the person connected to that guilt unexpectedly reenter his life.
The film is confirmed to continue Schrader’s “Man in a Room” trilogy, which includes “First Reformed,” “The Card Counter,” and “Master Gardener.” After Ethan Hawke, Oscar Isaac, and Joel Edgerton, it’s now Huston’s turn to sit alone, pen in hand, writing in a diary in a quiet room.
As far as we know, “The Basics of Philosophy” is only set to screen at Venice—it wasn’t selected for TIFF or NYFF, and the latter is particularly surprising given that the prestigious New York festival has a long history of selecting Schrader’s films throughout his career.
A few years ago, Schrader hinted that he might have just “one more” film left in him following a series of health setbacks. Fast-forward to 2024, and not only did “Oh, Canada” world-premiere in Cannes competition, but he also has another film in the can and is set to shoot another one in September, titled “Non Compos Mentis,” starring Liam Hemsworth, Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Pidgeon, and Dianne Wiest.
“The Basics of Philosophy” currently has no U.S. distribution, with Noora Films having joined the film to represent international sales.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.