Over the last week or so, we’ve heard countless reports of productions around the world suspending due to the coronavirus pandemic, especially in European countries, where the outbreak has led to complete lockdown. One of the filmmakers that are greatly affected by this change is Luca Guadagnino. However, lucky for the director, the lockdowns in Europe aren’t completely stopping his productivity.
In a new Vulture essay, the filmmaker updated his coronavirus outbreak plans by explaining which projects he’s currently working on, as he has three in post-production.
“I’m working, because I’m in post-production on three different projects,” said Guadagnino. “I’m doing a show for HBO called ‘We Are Who We Are.’ I produced a movie directed by Ferdinand Cito Filomarino with John David Washington called ‘Born to Be Murdered.’ I’m almost finished making a documentary called ‘Salvatore, the Shoemaker of Dreams,’ on the life of the great shoemaker Salvatore Ferragamo.”
The filmmaker also talked about how the world looks right now, given the lockdowns in various European countries. It all reminds him of those scary images in post-apocalyptic films.
READ MORE: Luca Guadagnino In Talks To Direct WB’s Upcoming ‘Lord Of The Flies’ Film Adaptation
“I see pictures from cities around the world that are looking the same as Italy,” he said. “My personal opinion is that it looks a little bit like some futuristic dystopia, like in ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth.’ It’s a little bit like ‘Omega Man’ or the end of the great movie by John Carpenter ‘In the Mouth of Madness.’”
As for other ways that he’s keeping busy, Guadagnino admits that it’s been a couple of weeks since he’s been to a restaurant or the cinema (he saw “The Invisible Man”), but he’s been reading books and watching films (he plans on watching the filmography of Edward Yang), including a 2019 standout film.
He said, “I finally got to see ‘Waves,’ which stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., who I found to be one of the most intelligent actors working today. I like him so much, and it was wonderful to see yet another transformation from him.”
The entire piece is well worth a read, especially if you’re someone curious about what an Italian filmmaker thinks about Joe Biden criticizing the Italian socialized healthcare system. For the rest of us, it’s just nice to know that Guadagnino is using this time to be safe and to also work on some great entertainment that we’ll enjoy over the next year.