Fresh Off an Oscar Nod, The Brutalist Director Brady Corbet Is Going X-Rated

Brady Corbet finally cracked the door on his next movie, and yes, it sounds like exactly the kind of audacious swing he would take after The Brutalist blew up. That A24 period epic with Adrien Brody just netted him his first Golden Globe for Best Director and three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. So, follow-up pressure? Extremely high. Corbet seems unfazed.

The quick version

In a new chat, Corbet called his next feature an X-rated Western that he plans to shoot entirely on 70mm. It mostly lives in the 1970s, but the story stretches from the 19th century all the way to present day. He also shut down one oddly specific rumor that has been bouncing around.

"It was reported that the movie has something to do with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which is not true at all... It’s not a slasher film."

What we know so far

• Corbet describes it as an X-rated Western, shot fully on 70mm.
• Timeline-wise, the film spans from the 1800s to now, with a heavy emphasis on the 1970s.
• Despite the setting, it is not connected to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and it is not a slasher. He says it will nod to films of that era, but the movie is 'really, really genre-defying.'
• The story digs into Northern California's economy, which is a fascinating angle for a Western set largely in the 70s.
• Format nerds, this is your moment: the plan is to shoot in large-format 70mm using both 8-perf and 15-perf. Corbet notes these formats are usually reserved for isolated shots, not entire features.
• He is already deep into testing, heading into a third round of camera tests with a full day dedicated to it.
• Production is targeted for next summer. Prep is slated to begin next month, but he is realistic that a lot can change in nine months.
• Even though it is being built like a big-format spectacle, he stresses this is not an action movie. That contrast is intentional.

Why this is interesting

Corbet is chasing the sonics and texture of 70s cinema without doing a pastiche or a body-count movie, and he wants to do it in formats usually reserved for event filmmaking. That is a bold (and pricey) way to make what he calls a not-spectacle. Also, an X-rated Western that stretches across centuries and drills into Northern California's economy? That is a wonderfully odd combination, even by Corbet standards.

Bottom line: it is early days, but the ambition here is loud and clear. If the schedule holds, cameras roll next summer, with prep kicking off soon. Until then, expect more camera tests, more technical experiments, and probably a few more rumor cleanups.