Vincent Cassel will reunite with David Cronenberg for “The Shrouds,” a new thriller from the director of “A History of Violence” and “Dead Ringers.” The film, which Cronenberg will write as well as direct, centers on Karsh (Cassel), an innovative businessman and grieving widower, who builds a device to connect with the dead inside a burial shroud.
Cassel and Cronenberg previously teamed up on “Eastern Promises” and “A Dangerous Method.” Their latest collaboration seems very much in the same envelope-pushing vein. According to the official longline for “The Shrouds,” Karsh’s revolutionary business is on the verge of breaking into the international mainstream when several graves within his cemetery are vandalized and nearly destroyed, including that of his wife. While he struggles to uncover a clear motive for the attack, the mystery of who wrought this havoc, and why, will drive Karsh to reevaluate his business, marriage and fidelity to his late wife’s memory of him, as well as push him to new beginnings .
Saïd Ben Saïd (SBS Productions) and Martin Katz (Prospero Pictures) will produce the picture, with CAA Media Finance handling US Sales and FilmNation Entertainment overseeing international distribution. Sales will launch at Cannes, where Cronenberg will premiere his latest film, “Crimes of the Future” starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart.
Cassel’s credits also include “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Ocean’s Thirteen” and “Black Swan.” He began his career in France in 1988 in television and cinema and got a big break with 1995’s “La Haine.” He went on to act in more than 80 films in France and the United States.
Filming on “The Shrouds” will begin in March 2023.
“We are thrilled to be going on a journey into the newest world from the distinctive imagination of David Cronenberg. His ability to write smart and unconventional screenplays and then translate them into unique experiences on screen makes him a unique voice in film, ”said Ben Saïd.
It’s shaping up to be a busy Cannes for FilmNation. The company will also be introducing Rupert Sanders’ reboot of “The Crow,” as well as “Last Breath,” a thriller with Woody Harrelson, Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu and Djimon Hounsou, and “Knox Goes Away,” which has Michael Keaton as both its director and star.
Cronenberg is represented by Robert Newman, WME and Joel Behr of Behr, Abramson, Levy. Ben Saïd is represented by CAA and Joel Behr. Katz is represented by Hall Webber LLP.