After a slight blip in form with "Broken Embraces" (which, don't get us wrong, is strong, but perhaps not up to his usual quality), Pedro Almodovar returned in a big way last year with "The Skin I Live In," a nasty, puzzling little thriller that was one of the director's most satisfying works, with excellent performances from Antonio Banderas and Elena Ayana, among others. The director just picked up the BAFTA for Best Film Not In The English Language this past weekend, but as ever, he's not hanging around, with a new project already gearing up to shoot soon.
Screen Daily report that the director's brother and producer, Agustin Almodovar, told a Spanish radio station recently that Pedro is prepping "The Brief Lovers," which is, according to the producer, "a witty comedy, with very spicy dialogues and with a lot of fun and transgression." While laughter is never far from Almodovar's work, he arguably hasn't made an out-and-out comedy since 1993's "Kika," so this should be a turn up for the books, if Agustin's description is correct.
And the director seems to be reuniting with an old favorite, as Screen also report that Javier Camara, who starred in "Talk To Her" and featured in "Bad Education," is in talks to lead in the project. There's been various projects percolating that have threatened to be the director's next — "Mina," a biopic of the Italian singer, and an English-language project that Almodovar had recently said would be next. Screen suggests that film is an adaptation of an Alice Munro novel, which makes sense, as the Canadian writer was an influence on "Broken Embraces," and had one of her novels featured in "The Skin I Live In."
The trade also report that Almodovar's been considering a project about two gay Pakistani men in the El Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, but "The Brief Lovers" seems to have leapt to the front of the queue. Filming will start this summer, so look for this to debut at Cannes in 2013 — the director's last four films all bowed on the Croisette.