Taylor Swift, the pop star who is currently quite busy touring every stadium on the planet, is also going to direct her first feature length movie. And although she was previously credited with being responsible for the “death of cinema”, when she was asked to take part in Variety’s Directors on Directors series, which pairs two filmmakers gunning for Oscars glory in conversation with each other (Taylor’s episode is with The Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonagh), it looks like she’s actually the real deal. An Oscar nominee says so.
In an interview with The Wrap, cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto — known best for his work with Martin Scorsese and on Greta Gerwig’s Barbie — called Taylor an “extraordinary” director. Having acted as the cinematographer on the music videos for “The Man”, “Cardigan” and “Willow”, he has first hand experience of that.
“Obviously she’s quite an artist, but she’s also an excellent director,” Roberto said in the interview. “I must say the stuff I’ve done with her, the music videos, she’s been extraordinary. Someone who didn’t grow up as a director – she’s a musician and a singer and wonderful at that – to see that she understands cinema and understands storytelling, she understands how to tell the story with a camera and she’s great with the technical aspects as well.”
He also alluded to knowing about Taylor’s directorial debut. “I know about this project,” he said. “I don’t know what the status is right now because I’ve been on my movie, but we have talked about it and I don’t know if I’ll end up doing it or someone else [will], but I think she’s great.” There you have it! Quite the co-sign.
So what else do we know about Taylor’s movie history? Do we know the plot of the film? When will we get a release date? Here’s everything we know about Taylor Swift’s movie directorial debut.
Has Taylor Swift made movies before?
Taylor has previously acted in movies (see her short but, um, memorable cameo in Amsterdam and her British accent in Cats!), directed her own music videos, and made a short film to accompany her iconic 10 minute version of “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)”. However, this marks the first time she’s stepping behind the camera for a full-length film.
What’s the plot of Taylor Swift’s first movie?
We have no idea – only that she wrote the screenplay herself.
Who is producing Taylor Swift’s directorial debut?
Searchlight Pictures have a reputation for making lower-budget movies with real critical acclaim. They’ve won five Best Picture Oscars in the past — for Slumdog Millionaire, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, The Shape of Water and Nomadland — and are frequently the go-to collaborator for famed film aesthete Wes Anderson. The studio announced the project and their involvement on 9 December 2022 in a statement. Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said: “Taylor is a once in a generation artist and storyteller. It is a genuine joy and privilege to collaborate with her as she embarks on this exciting and new creative journey.”
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What’s the release date for Taylor Swift’s movie?
Taylor is famously a perfectionist, and she has a fair share of doubtful eyes watching her as she makes this segue into directing feature length projects. No word yet on when we’ll get to see it.