Acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar has announced plans for his 21st feature film, and unsurprisingly, he’s bringing some frequent collaborators along for the ride.
According to new reports, Almodóvar is set to begin production on his next film, titled “Dolor Y Gloria” (or “Pain and Glory”), in July. The filmmaker has brought on actors Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz to star in the film, which is about a series of meetings, which are described by Almodóvar as “some physical and others remembered after decades, by a film director in his decline.”
“Dolor Y Gloria” will also star Asier Etxeandía and Julieta Serrano. Almodóvar is not afraid of working with actors he knows and loves quite often, has been working with Cruz since 1997’s “Live Flesh” and with Banderas since 1982’s “Labyrinth of Passion.” Clearly, Almodóvar likes working with collaborators he feels comfortable with.
The director’s latest film is will feature subjects that are “first loves, second loves, mother, mortality, an actor with whom the director worked, the 60s, the 80s and the present. And the emptiness, the immeasurable emptiness before the impossibility of continuing to make films.”
There’s no word yet on distribution or release dates. Obviously, with filming set to begin this Summer, “Dolor Y Gloria” is primed to be a film to watch out for on the film festival circuit in 2019. With Cannes on our minds recently, maybe this new film from Almodóvar will be a player in the prestigious event in 2019.