Alexander Payne Develops Danish-Language Feature Film, Teases Next Projects

European Funding for New Film

Alexander Payne is developing a Danish-language feature film that will shoot in Denmark and be 100% funded by European money. Speaking to Screen at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Payne said he is yet to write the script but that he expected to qualify for certain European funding pots through his Greek citizenship.

New Project Details

Payne did not reveal plot or title details of the project, which would be the first European film for the Sideways and The Holdovers director. The director was previously attached to a Netflix film starring Mads Mikkelsen that was due to shoot in Denmark, Sweden, and the US in 2019, until it fell apart shortly before production.

French-Language Feature

Payne also gave details on the French-language feature he is looking to write, to shoot in Paris. It will be based on Eric Konigsberg’s 2018 Vanity Fair article ‘The Chairmen’, which Payne said is “about rival antique chair dealers in Paris.” “That’s looming out there,” said Payne of the project, and he noted that “it’s less hard to get theatrical real estate” in Europe.

Election Sequel

Having touched on a potential Election sequel in his Sarajevo masterclass on Sunday, Payne said it was set up as a streaming film with Paramount for the film “a few years ago… because everybody sees more money in that”, but that he wants to change the deal for a theatrical release. “The deal was conceived for streaming; I would want to change that,” said Payne. “I’d want theatrical.”

Payne confirmed Reese Witherspoon is attached to reprise her role as Tracy Flick, although he did not know if she will produce the film. Since Election was released in 1999, Witherspoon has established a successful career as a producer alongside her acting roles, with producer credits on Wild, Gone Girl, and Where the Crawdads Sing. No other cast are attached to the Election sequel, Payne said.

Sarajevo Film Festival

Payne is back in Sarajevo for the third time, having first attended in 2005 for a screening of Sideways. “The fumes of the war were still quite present,” he recalled of that first trip. Payne said that the festival has since become “one of the biggest economic events not just in Bosnia but all of former Yugoslavia.” “Twenty years later, the festival feels a bit more polished, but with no diminishment of intimacy and hospitality,” he said. “It’s very ‘sui generis’ [Latin for ‘of its own kind’]. It’s really unique [among festivals].”

Sarajevo Film Festival Dates

Sarajevo runs until Friday, August 23.

Conclusion

Alexander Payne is set to direct a new Danish-language feature film, which will be 100% funded by European money. He is also working on a French-language feature and has expressed interest in changing the deal for his potential Election sequel to a theatrical release.

FAQs

* What is the plot of the new Danish-language feature film?
+ The plot has not been revealed yet, but it is expected to be funded by European money.
* Will Reese Witherspoon produce the Election sequel?
+ Payne did not confirm whether Witherspoon will produce the film, but she is attached to reprise her role as Tracy Flick.
* When will the Sarajevo Film Festival take place?
+ The festival runs until Friday, August 23.