Yesterday, we got word that David Cronenberg was finally returning to filmmaking with the sci-fi thriller Crimes of the Future. Now we know more about the project, including the cast. Viggo Mortensen‘s involvement was expected, and now that’s been confirmed. In addition to Mortensen, the cast features Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux. As for the story, it’s set in the “not-so-distant future where humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings.”

I was already excited for a new David Cronenberg movie, but now that excitement has only increased with this casting news. Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, which films in Greece this summer, will star Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Scott Speedman, Welket Bungué, Don McKellar, and Lihi Kornowski.

The film also now has a synopsis:

Crimes of the Future is a boldly original screenplay from the mind of celebrated auteur David Cronenberg, whose last original screenplay was eXistenZ in 1999. The film takes a deep dive into the not-so-distant future where humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, altering their biological makeup. While some embrace the limitless potential of transhumanism, others attempt to police it. Either way, in this perfectly crafted Cronenberg world, which marks the iconic filmmaker’s return to sci-fi, “Accelerated Evolution Syndrome”, is spreading fast.

Saul Tenser is a beloved performance artist who has embraced Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, sprouting new and unexpected organs in his body. Along with his partner Caprice, Tenser has turned the removal of these organs into a spectacle for his loyal followers to marvel at in real time theatre. But with both the government and a strange subculture taking note, Tenser is forced to consider what would be his most shocking performance of all.

The film is coming from NEON and Serendipity Point Films. Producer Robert Lantos said: “To work with David Cronenberg is to embark on a journey exploring terrain where no one has gone before. Each of our collaborations has been an exhilarating adventure and David’s unwavering vision is what real cinema is all about.”

Last year, Mortensen gave some hints about the project, saying the film was “a strange film noir story,” and adding: “It’s disturbing and it’s good, I think. But since his origins, he’s obviously developed in terms of technique and self-assurance as a director.” The prospect of Cronenberg and Mortensen working together again is exciting on its own – the two worked so well together on A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. But you throw Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux into the mix and things get even more intriguing.

The title Crimes of the Future will be familiar to Cronenberg fans – he made a film by that name in 1970, which was set in a world where a plague unleashed by cosmetic products has killed the entire population of sexually mature women. Based on the synopsis above, this is clearly not a remake of that.

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