“I think I’ve seen this film before,” Taylor Swift once sang, “and I didn’t like the ending.” The singer will put her money where her mouth is (and there’s a lot of money to go around) by crafting her own ending in her feature film directorial debut.
Swift has directed a short film (All Too Well) and many of her own music videos, but never a full-length film. “This actually came out of necessity,” Swift told Martin McDonagh about her director origin story. “I was writing my videos for years, and I had a video that was a very specific concept I had written [2019’s ‘The Man’], which was that I wanted to be prosthetically turned into a man and live my life as a man. And I wanted a female director to direct it. And the few that I reached out to were fortunately booked. We like it when women work. So I was like, ‘I could do it, maybe.’ And when I did direct, I just thought, this is actually more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined.”
Here’s everything we know about Swift’s movie (no, not Cats). It will be perfect for a Sunday matinee.
Plot
In December 2022, two months after the release of Midnights and four months before the start of The Eras Tour, Variety reported that Taylor Swift is “making her feature directorial debut” with studio Searchlight Pictures, the home of Nomadland, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Poor Things. (The Emma Stone connection is strong.) Swift also wrote the script for the untitled film, and if it’s as good as her songwriting, she will move one step closer to winning an EGOT.
“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,” Searchlight Pictures presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said at the time.
That’s the last we’ve heard about the film (she’s been a little busy). But Martin Scorsese’s preferred cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who worked with Swift on “The Man,” “Cardigan,” and “Willow” music videos, was recently asked if another collaboration with the singer is in the future.
“Sure. I’d be happy to,” the four-time Oscar nominee told Film Stage. “You will see… you never know what happens in life. I’m always surprised about what I think might happen, and then it’s something else completely. But I really admire her as a director. I mean, obviously as a musician and her talent, but I’ve enjoyed enormously working with her. I do think she is a director — she’s not only a musician. Again, the same thing we were talking about: she comes up with wonderful ideas, she’s a leader, and a joy to work with.”
No plot details have been shared about the movie, but maybe Swift will find inspiration from her favorite films? The list includes The Shape of Water, Sense and Sensibility, and The Little Mermaid. You can find more here.
Cast
It’s too soon to predict whether Swift will star in the film herself or stay behind the camera, but she won’t have a hard time putting together a top-tier cast. Her friend group includes big-name actors like Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Selena Gomez, Zoë Kravitz, Alana Haim (so good in Licorice Pizza), and Emma Stone. There’s also this Travis guy…
Release Date
There’s no release date, but Swift is about to have a lot of free time: The Eras Tour wraps up on December 8 in Vancouver.
Trailer
Check out Swift’s filmmaking debut in All Too Well: The Short Film.
