Xavier Dolan’s Comeback: A New Horror Film on the Horizon

Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan is making headlines again. Just last year, he shocked fans when he announced his retirement from directing at the young age of 34. It seemed surprising considering most directors are just getting started at that age.

Dolan, known for films like “Mommy,” “I Killed My Mother,” and “Laurence Anyways,” had last directed “Matthias & Maxime” in 2019. He expressed that dedicating oneself to cinema felt like a waste of time and hinted he was stepping back from the industry.

However, this year, he found himself leading the jury for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Speaking about his experience there, he mentioned it really revitalized his passion for filmmaking.

This rekindled interest has led him to dust off a project he penned before the pandemic. Dolan is excited to share that he’s just 20 pages away from finishing the screenplay for his next film, which is a horror story set in 1880s France.

He’s aiming to start filming in France in the fall of next year, with hopes of premiering the movie at Cannes in 2026. This upcoming film marks his ninth feature and will delve into themes of fear, failure, and rejection.

Fans are curious to see how Dolan takes on the horror genre, especially since his closest venture into that territory was the 2013 psychological thriller “Tom at the Farm,” which received the FIPRESCI Prize at Venice and was well-received by critics.