Harmony Korine Unveils New Animated Projects The Trap and Twinkle Twinkle

      Just a decade ago, Harmony Korine mentioned to Marc Maron that filmmaking is so draining that it necessitates long breaks. This makes his recent activity—all starting with the establishment of his own company, EDGLRD—remarkable. Producing two films in two years (Aggro Dr1ft and Baby Invasion) is one thing; however, it's quite another to be progressing on two more projects that mark his first foray into full animation or have a script penned by Terrence Malick awaiting production.

      Nick Newman from The Film Stage interviewed Korine for Interview Magazine, during which some details about his current projects were revealed. Concerning The Trap, a script that almost turned into a live-action feature around a decade ago but is now being revived as an anime, Korine shared that it “is being worked on now in Tokyo,” with an expected public unveiling in “another two years or so.” This film has survived through various changes in his career (including a publicly stated disinterest in cinema) because, as he puts it, “Well, it’s the best script that I’ve ever written, without question. […] That is the most perfect script that I’ve written; the best writing, the most I’ve put into just a pure piece of screenplay.” When asked how he plans to portray his home and cinematic environment in this new format, he responded, “Even the anime will be Miami.”

      Around fifteen years ago, Korine was set to direct Twinkle Twinkle, featuring Marlon Wayans as “a former hitman dressed in a dollar bill costume.” It appears this has evolved into the motion-capture comedy previously mentioned by EDGLRD: it has been in development for about a year, “made on [very high-level] gaming engines” and “should be finished very soon.”

      There is no confirmation regarding whether the original actors will return for either project, but in at least one way, they will reflect an earlier era in Korine's career. Despite his recent bold assertions about transforming cinema, he describes these two projects in a more conventional light:

      “Those movies are… Well, I’m not going to say traditional anime or animated features, but they are more linear. There are definitely more traditional scripts, storylines, and character arcs. They were written a couple of years ago, so I was still really interested in those things at that point. So those two projects will be more linear, more conventional, probably more commercial, but the visuals will be pretty stunning.”

      If Korine's statements hold true, we can expect both of these projects within a reasonable timeframe. Perhaps he will make his third consecutive appearance at the Venice Film Festival donning an EDGLRD mask and a large cigar?