Whether or not the world agrees, that did seem to be the case for Netflix. In explaining his reasoning, the legendary director of films including The Fly and Videodrome cited the same lack of funding experienced by peers like David Lynch in recent years. Cronenberg initially conceived The Shrouds as a series, as he previously shared, but Netflix wouldn’t bite. “I was hoping Netflix would take more risks with interesting, edgy series… But it turns out they’re hitting their subscriber limit, and they’ve become much more conservative as a result,” he told the LA Times. “My experience with them was much more like the old days with the studios than I thought.”
Funding was an issue even when the director reconceived the story as a relatively low-budget feature film. “This film cost less than the catering on one of those Netflix shows… And even then, it was really tough to get it made,” he said, a remark that cuts extra deep considering that the streamer just threw a whopping $320 million at the Russo brothers’ megaflop, The Electric State.
Beyond the politics of movie-making, Cronenberg also isn’t sure he can physically handle another project. Directing “really takes it out of you,” he explained. “You could certainly imagine a moment where you’re halfway through a movie and you say, ‘I actually can’t do this anymore. I’m not focused enough to be good at it. I don’t even know if I can survive today.'” The end isn’t guaranteed, however. In the same breath, Cronenberg also cited Manoel de Oliveira, “the Portuguese director who was still making films at 103,” lauding his career as “something to aspire to.” Cronenberg is only 82, so he could feasibly have another two decades of stories left in the tank.
Either way, he has no plans to stop terrifying the masses any time soon. “Even when I thought I might never make another movie, I never thought I’d stop being creative,” he said. “I thought maybe I’d write another novel. There are many ways you can be creative.”
