With just ten days to go until the Cannes Film Festival lineup is unveiled, one title heavily tipped to premiere is David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds, starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, and Sandrine Holt. While U.S. distribution has yet to be confirmed, French distributor Pyramide Films has now unveiled a September 25, 2024 release date alongside news that it will be the director’s longest film yet.
Clocking in at 119 minutes, it’s just a hair longer than Dead Ringers and Naked Lunch, which both ran 115 minutes. The distributor also confirms returning collaborators cinematographer Douglas Koch and editor Christopher Donaldson, who shot and edited Crimes of the Future, respectively, and the Canadian director’s longtime composer Howard Shore.
Here’s a new synopsis as well: “Karsh, 50, is a renowned businessman. Inconsolable since the death of his wife, he invents a revolutionary and controversial system, GraveTech, which allows the living to connect to their deceased loved ones in their shrouds. One night, several graves, including that of his wife, are vandalized. Karsh sets out to find the culprits.”
Léa Seydoux also recently revealed why she dropped out of the project. “I loved working with David [Cronenberg]. I love him. I’m a huge fan, but then I thought, first of all, I was a bit tired. I wanted to have a break,” she told IndieWire. “Maybe I thought two French actors speaking English, it’s weird.” She added. “The script is great, [but] I wanted to have some time for myself.”
Check out a high-resolution version of the first image below, with Cassel clearly a dead ringer for Cronenberg himself.
