Quickly ascending to be one of the most dominant voices in cinema over the last few years, it’s been gratifying to see Steve McQueen‘s career take off. Alongside him since the beginning has not only been his cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, but another key factor in his collaborations: Michael Fassbender. After lead roles in his first two features, Hunger and Shame, he delivered a menacing supporting role in 12 Years a Slave, and as one might expect, their partnership will likely continue.
It was recently announced that McQueen will be embarking on his “dream project,” a biopic on singer, actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, and while we don’t have word of that lead casting yet he did confirm the welcome (if obvious) news of Fassbender’s involvement. “If Michael wants to do it, I’m sure there’ll be something for him. He means very much to me, and we met at a pivotal time in both our lives,” he tells the BBC. “It’s important to me to keep my original group of British and Irish-born creative people close to me wherever I work, whether it’s my producers, cinematographers, or indeed Michael Fassbender. They are instrumental to what I do, they’re not going to change.”
Even though his next film will likely be a female-led crime drama, with that above quote, I suppose we can count Fassbender in for that as well. When it comes to that project, McQueen admits, “It is a bit different for me, but I’m not trying to make things that are painful and dark. It’s not about a strategy. I am interested in things that are contributing to our everyday, whether historically, or in the present. We live in a far from perfect world. I guess I’m just trying to navigate myself around this sweet cesspool without getting anything on my shoes.”
Are you looking forward to the continuing collaborations between McQueen and Fassbender?