In 1970, David Cronenberg wrote, shot, edited, and directed a sci-fi film called Crimes of the Future. The film was set in 1977, in a world where all sexually mature women have been killed off by a plague caused by cosmetic products and it tells the story of Tripod (Ronald Mlodzik). Like Cronenberg’s other films, the film explored elements such as body distortion, the grotesquery of sex, and the intersections between technology and the human body. Now, Cronenberg is back with a film of the same name, which will not be a remake of the original. In fact, this version of the film is very different from the 1970 one.
The 2022 version of Crimes of the Future is set in a world where humans can freely perform surgeries on their bodies without feeling pain and thus are engaged in new transformations and mutations. In this world, Saul Tenser, a celebrity performance artist, teams up with his partner Caprice to publicly showcase the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Like the 1970 film, the 2022 version of Crimes of the Future was also written and directed by Cronenberg. The film was produced by Robert Lantos and stars Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, and Kristen Stewart.
Crimes of the Future has been in development for years. Production for the film was set to begin as far back as 2003 under the title Painkillers. The film was set to take place in an anesthetized society and would explore the world of performance art. In this world, pain is the new forbidden pleasure while performing surgery and self-mutilation in public is regarded as the new sex. Nic Cage was the first option for the role of Saul Tenser but Cage dropped out and Ralph Fiennes was attached to star instead. The budget of the film was $35 million and it was set to be shot in Toronto, Canada, and released in late 2006. However, the project fell off.
News about the project resurfaced in February 2021 when Viggo Mortensen revealed that he was working on a project with Cronenberg. He explained that the project was something Cronenberg had written a long time ago but never got made and now, he had refined it and wanted to shoot it. Later in April, it was announced that Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart were joining the cast of the film. In August 2021, principal photography began and was concluded in Athens, Greece, in September 2021. The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a six-minute standing ovation. Looking for how to watch this body horror film? Here’s how, where, and when you can watch Crimes of the Future.
Is Crimes of the Future Streaming Online?
Unfortunately, Crimes of the Future will not be available on streaming when it releases. However, the movie could show up on one of the major streaming services at some point in the future.
Is Crimes of the Future in Movie Theaters?
Crimes of the Future is having a limited release in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on June 3, 2022. The film will premiere in the rest of the country on June 10, 2022.
Watch the Official Trailer for Crimes of the Future
Neon, the production and distribution company for Crimes of the Future, released a trailer for the film on May 6, 2022. The trailer introduces us to a celebrity, Saul Tenser, who performs surgeries on his body in public for the viewership of many. Tenser uses his body as a canvas to see just how far humans can go with manipulating their flesh. As expected, the trailer shows severe images such as skin getting penetrated, lumps of flesh, bones, and more. It preps us for the extreme images we’ll see in the film.
What Is Crimes of the Future About?
The official synopsis for Crimes of the Future reads as follows:
As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission – to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.
More Films by David Cronenberg That You Can Watch Now
You can prep yourself for Crimes of the Future by getting familiar with David Cronenberg’s filmmaking style. Here are some films of his you can check out.
eXistenZ (1999)
Written, produced, and directed by David Cronenberg, eXistenZ tells the story of a game designer called Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who finds herself targeted by assassins who are playing a virtual reality game that she created. Like Crimes of the Future, eXistenZ does not shy away from the grotesque and tells a story that's comparable to The Matrix, which was also released in the same year. You can stream eXistenZ on Pluto TV.
Rabid (1977)
Rabid is about a young woman who develops a taste for human blood after she undergoes experimental plastic surgery due to injuries from a motorcycle accident. She starts to infect people by feeding on them and this soon causes widespread chaos. Rabid stars Marilyn Chambers, Joe Silver, Howard Ryshpan, and Susan Roman. You can stream Rabid on the Roku Channel.
Scanners (1981)
Scanners is about a group of people called “scanners” who have psychic, telepathic, and telekinetic powers. Darryl Revok, a renegade scanner seeks to go to war against ConSec, a purveyor of weaponry and security systems that fishes out scanners to use them for its own purposes. Revok is faced with another scanner sent by ConSec to stop him. Scanners was written and directed by David Cronenberg and produced by Claude Héroux. The film stars Michael Ironside, Jennifer O'Neill, Stephen Lack, and Patrick McGoohan. You can stream Scanners on HBO Max.
Is Crimes of the Future (1970) Available for Streaming?
Even though the new Crimes of the Future isn't available for streaming, the 1970 movie of the same name can be streamed now. The film is currently available for streamingon the Criterion Channel.