Brady Corbet’s ‘The Origin of the World,’ His ‘X-Rated’ 4-Hour Follow-Up to ‘The Brutalist,’ Begins Production in South Africa

According to Shot on Film Brady Corbet's “The Origin of the World,” his X-Rated epic about "Northern California’s economy" in the 1970s epic, among other things, has now started production in South Africa under the working title “SALT FLATS.”

DP Lol Crawley is shooting on 8-perf 65mm using rare Iwerks cameras, in addition to 35mm and 16mm film, which is the what was done on “The Brutalist.” No doubt, VistaVision is also part of the gameplan.

The film stars Selena Gomez, Michael Fassbender, Sadie Soverall, Cate Blanchett and Joe Alwyn.

According to Corbet, “The Origin of the World” is “about American mysticism and the history of the occult in America,” though much of the project remains shrouded in mystery. The filmmaker has previously confirmed that he is working from an “X-rated” 200-page script that would run approximately four hours.

“The film spans from the 19th century into the present day — it’s just predominantly focused on the ’70s. The film is really, really genre-defying,” the director told THR. He wants the film to hsve a four-hour runtime.

No studio is currently attached, Corbert financed ut via independent parties, though A24, Neon, or Mubi seem like plausible contenders to acquire it. Regardless, the film could be ready in time for a 2027 release.

This will mark Corbet’s fourth feature following “The Childhood of a Leader,” “Vox Lux,” and “The Brutalist,” the latter of which earned 10 Oscar nominations and won three, including Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Cinematography (Lol Crawley), and Best Original Score (Daniel Blumberg). Blumberg is returning to score “The Origin of the World.”