Vincent Cassel details the plot of David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds

Being able to work with David Cronenberg for the third time is the charm of actor Vincent Cassel, but it is also the biggest challenge.

The French star detailed Cronenberg’s upcoming supernatural drama “The Shrouds” in a new interview, announcing that production will begin in mid-2023 in Toronto. The film also stars Léa Seydoux, the main character of Cronenberg’s “Future Crimes”.

“The story of a man who loses his wife. It’s about the inability to cope with the loss of a loved one,” Cassel said The guardian. “I never thought he would trust me so much and I am very flattered. I told him, “David, I honestly have no idea how I’m going to play this.” And he said that’s exactly why he chose me.”

According to the official synopsis, Karsh (Cassel), an innovative businessman and grieving widow, builds a device inside a funeral shroud to communicate with the dead.

Writer-director Cronenberg told IndieWire’s Eric Kohn at Cannes 2022 that “The Shrouds” will take place in a world where people can watch their deceased relatives decay in real time. The concept was originally conceived as a Netflix series, with Cronenberg writing two episodes before the streamer canceled the plans.

“I think they’re very conservative and for whatever reason they didn’t go forward with my project,” Cronenberg said. “I still thanked them because I wrote a script and I wouldn’t have done it without their enthusiasm.”

He added: “I’m interested in a streaming series as an alternative form of cinema, because suddenly you’re making eight or ten hours of film.”

In fact, Netflix was said to be among the potential financiers for Cronenberg’s “Future Crimes,” but ultimately passed. The sci-fi body horror film, starring Kristen Stewart, was screened at Cannes in 2022, where Cronenberg expected to pull out.

Similarly, Cronenberg’s longtime collaborator Cassel recalled the controversial Cannes premiere of Gaspar Noé’s “Irréversible” 20 years ago.

“You know, everybody was spitting on this movie, saying it was horrible, vulgar, blah, blah, blah,” Cassel said. “I’ve had people come up to me and say to me online, ‘Man, I hate you. I had nightmares about what you did. Thank you very much. That is the best compliment.”

Register: Stay up to date with the latest movie and TV news! Subscribe to our email newsletter here.