Yorgos Lanthimos said he plans on taking a break from filmmaking after making three films in three years with “Poor Things,” “Kinds of Kindness” and his most recent film, “Bugonia.”
The director shared details about the personal decision during an interview with Collider, published Thursday, where he was questioned about how fast and frequently he makes movies.
“I can’t keep doing that anymore,” Lanthimos said, calling the pacing a “big mistake.” “That’s what we’re certain of right now.”
“It’s a big mistake. I think I need a break,” the director continued. “I’ve said that before in between the other three, but I’m serious now. You can hold me to it. I’m going to take a little break.”
He explained that he’s stayed in an endless cycle of filmmaking because he doesn’t want to leave a good project behind.
“I decide which film to make every time a script is ready, so when it is ready, and we’ve been working on something for such a long time, it just feels like a shame to just leave it there and wait,” Lanthimos added. “I kind of forced myself, almost, to try and find the time to do it immediately after I finished something. We shot ‘Kinds of Kindness’ during that very long period of VFX on ‘Poor Things,’ so I felt that I needed to do something during that time.”
He continued: “Then, ‘Bugonia,’ I had read three years before, and we worked with [writer] Will [Tracy] a little bit on the script, so it felt ready, and we just wanted to go out and make it. You find the will and the strength, but at some point, it runs out. We’re at that point.”
“Bugonia” hits theaters on Oct. 31.
