On the occasion of the broadcast of “Crystal Trap” this evening on M6, we take stock of the projects of director John McTiernan.
Will John McTiernan, director of Crystal Trap, Predator, A Day in Hell or Last Action Hero, finally shoot a new film? After 20 years of absence, the director says he still has proposals.
Basic, his last feature film, was released in May 2003. The director then became persona non grata in Hollywood after being sentenced to a year in prison in 2012.
The man nicknamed McT had illegally wiretapped the producer of Rollerball, Charles Roven, with whom he had numerous disagreements over the filming of this film.
A return planned?
Invited to give a masterclass during the 2022 edition of BIFFF (Brussels Fantasy Film Festival), the 73-year-old director revealed that he had two projects in the works.
The first is called Tau Ceti Foxtrot, a sort of “For a handful of dollars on another planet”, according to McTiernan. The story follows a group of relentless rebels. They set out to eliminate the oligarchs and armed groups who are terrorizing a war-torn planet in the distant Tau Ceti solar system.
According to journalist Sandra Benedetti, “the scenario has been finished for a while and the design is sublime”she declared on Twitter, posting a rather tempting visual.
“The screenplay is on several levels of reading, clever, mysterious, feverish, tumultuous and it’s a blast. The ending is astonishing. McTiernan at its best. And that’s all I’m authorized to say and show about it. McT wants to keep his film a mystery, as long as it’s not being filmed.”confides the journalist.
One project can hide another!
The director of Die Hard is not going to stop there! He has a second project in the works: Ghost In The Machine. “John McTiernan is in Paris to refine the script of Ghost In The Machine, with his French co-writer. It’s finished, it’s really goldsmith polishing that they’re doing”reveals Sandra Benedetti on her Twitter account.
The latter also posted a drawing of McT himself, giving a first glimpse of his vision for this film, reminiscent of the atmosphere of Mad Max Fury Road.
Many project proposals, but…
King of action films during the 1980s and 1990s, will John McTiernan finally make his return after more than 20 years of crossing the desert?
Recently, the filmmaker spoke in a Finnish media, Helsingin Sanomat (relayed by World of Real). He indicated that he still had many project proposals, but “none of them are good films. He confirms that he is working on several scripts, and says he hopes to direct more films “before he dies.”
He adds : “I continued to write and believe that I had the strength. I’m as stupid as when I was 19“, he says.
