Paul Schrader just can't stop working.
That said, I'm not sure what happened here. "Non Compos Mentis," his next film, an erotic thriller, was supposed to star Liam Hemsworth, Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Pidgeon, and two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest. That's a great cast — save for Hemsworth — but the film has now been partly recast.
According to Deadline, Sam Worthington is now replacing Caleb Landry Jones. Cara Delevingne has taken over Sarah Pidgeon's role. Dianne Wiest is seemingly out. The project, which is still seeking U.S. distribution, is eyeing a shoot next month in New York.
Described as an "erotic thriller," "Non Compos Mentis" follows two silver-spoon brothers — played by Worthington and Hemsworth — grappling with their mother's slow descent into dementia. One is a buttoned-up New York defense attorney; the other, a ruthless corporate heir. Their already brittle relationship implodes when the attorney plunges into a dangerous affair with a much younger woman (Delevingne), triggering a love triangle that spirals into obsession, betrayal, and a cutthroat war over the family fortune.
This month, Schrader premiered "The Basics of Philosophy," starring Jack Huston, at Venice. The film centers on a college philosophy professor and is shot in the stylistic mold of Schrader's recent "Man in a Room" movies: "First Reformed," "The Card Counter," and "Master Gardener." It currently sits at 57% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After filming wraps on "Non Compos Mentis," Schrader plans to start shooting his "drug movie," "The Doors of Perception," in January. The film is about ayahuasca and features about 15 minutes of trip sequences, which he says are meant to merge theatrical and immersive experiences. Then he'll push forward with his crime noir "Three Guns at Dawn," made entirely with AI-generated performers. If you remember, he recently said Black actors had rejected the original version because all three of its Black protagonists were criminals. So AI it is!
Suffice it to say, Schrader's five-decade filmmaking journey continues. Beyond his own directorial efforts, he's penned iconic scripts such as "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull," not to mention "Rolling Thunder," "The Last Temptation of Christ," and "Bringing Out the Dead." His best films as a director include "Blue Collar," "Mishima," "Affliction," "Auto Focus," and "First Reformed."
I’m now predicting a $50M domestic opening weekend for this movie, which will only further cement Cregger’s drawing power after “Barbarian” and “Weapons.”