After writing about himself writing a movie in Adaptation, Charlie Kaufman has decided to direct his own writing, in a film based on a play he wrote. Kaufman’s new film and directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York, will begin its ten-week shoot on May 21st in New York, says Production Weekly.
Philip Seymour Hoffman will play the Caden, a theater director who attempts to create a life-size replica of New York City in his a warehouse as part of his latest production. Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams and Samantha Morton will all play Caden’s various love interests.
While Kaufman has a knack for clever, honest dialogue and a wild imagination, it’s somewhat alarming that he has decided to step behind the camera (Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry have both given Kaufman his cinematic voice in the past). Kaufman has enough difficulty and anxiety just handling his own writing, he might buckle under the additional pressures of directing. The most likely outcome is that his lack of directorial experience will mar his excellent writing. But let’s hope that Kaufman can prove that he is a one man band, jack of all trades.
