When Taylor Swift writes, she usually heads to the recording studio, but soon enough, she's on a movie set. On December 9, Swift announced that she would direct her first feature film and write an original script herself. The film is produced by Searchlight Pictures, the studio behind Best Picture Oscar winners such as "Nomadland" and "The Shape of Water." However, other details, including the title, plot and cast, are currently being kept under wraps.
"Tyler is a once-in-a-lifetime artist and storyteller," Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said in a statement to Variety . “It’s been a true joy and privilege to work with her as she embarks on this exciting new creative journey.”
Swift has yet to comment on the new development, but she is currently attending an awards event for another project she directed. Swift's "Everything's Alright: The Short Film," based on a 10-minute version of her fan-favorite song "Red" (Taylor's version) , hits theaters in November 2021, making it eligible for the 2023 Oscars. Best live action short film category. To promote the film, she has spoken at New York's Tribeca Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, and will be in conversation with filmmaker Martin McDonagh for Variety's Directors on Directors series.
Swift previously hinted at directing a feature film during discussions at TIFF. “I think where I’m at now, the next step is more than a small step,” she said. "It will be working on making a movie. I hope the right opportunity comes along because I absolutely love telling stories in this way. If it's the right thing, it would be an honor." Although she hasn't shared her yet movie idea, but she already had some guidelines in place. “I think I’ll always want to tell human stories about human emotions,” she said. "I never say never, but I can't imagine myself filming action scenes. Honestly, if that happened one day, it would be an interesting character growth, but at this point, I can see it going in a way that It happens in a more comedic, irreverent way.”
A day before announcing the feature film, Swift shared a behind-the-scenes video from the filming of "All Too Well," showing the 11-time Grammy winner at work behind the camera. In the new clip, she coaches stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien on everything from how to get out of a car to how to hold hands at a dinner party, before explaining how she wants to portray her character.
Prior to "All Too Well ," Swift co-directed 2019's "ME!," "You Need to Calm Down" and "Lover" music videos with Drew Kirsch. Her journey into filmmaking, then sitting alone in the director's chair, began with "The Man." She has since directed most of her music videos, only letting her friend Blake Lively direct her 2021 's video "I Bet You Think About Me."
