Kaufman and Jonze: Reunited? It Still Feels Good.

I’ve long been awaiting the Return of Charlie Kaufman: Screenwriter since he worked with imaginative French director Michel Gondry on 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  True, afterwards in ’08 he wrote and directed the underrated Synecdoche, New York, but since then, there’s been a serious void where his scripts ought to be. 

Kaufman and the coolest curls in showbiz.

No longer, or so it seems.  

Remember Spike Jonze?  Of course you do.  He’s the sprite-like director of last year’s Where the Wild Things Are, which paired him with another great writer, author turned script-smith Dave Eggers.  Before that, he worked with Kaufman, forming an unstoppable creative pairing for Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.  It’s like the two of them understand one another in a way our regular, tiny minds couldn’t possibly comprehend.  And they’re reportedly planning to take their tag-team to the next level. 

The L.A. Times reports that, as early as last week, a super secret project was being shopped around Hollywood, ostensibly to be directed by Jonze and written by Kaufman.  It’s like a new star has been born: it’s that delightful.  

Both of these faces are a little creepy. But I still love them.

There’s not a terrible amount of details, since the project’s very hush hush, but Kaufman had been looking for funding on his own project earlier (possibly called Frank or Francis) about a hot-shot director who gives up his big budget lifestyle to become a true artist, and it’s possible the two films may be one in the same.   We’re still in the pitch stages, but it seems like Jonze and Kaufman want to seek out independent financing for the new, as yet untitled and unwritten project.  This in and of itself is promising, since going through a studio might limit the duo’s room to delve into their trademark class-act-insanity on screen; an independent feature would be far more suited to their style.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this new collaboration once it gets off the ground.  Until then, sweet dreams of a thousand Malkoviches, everyone.

(Oh! And scroll down for a little treat: Jonze’s video for Bjork’s “It’s Oh So Quiet.”  The man makes mailboxes dance.  I think I’m in love.)

Comments

[dan novak]

Synecdoche, New York was TOTALLY underrated that was an amazing movie and no one saw it.

[kb]

beetleguise just went supernova again.