Egoyan does teen drama. Telefilm thinks long and hard.

According to Playback Magazine, Atom Egoyan is gearing up to shoot a new film called Adoration about teens "redefining themselves through the internet." Casting is wrapping up for a September shoot.

The film has a scaled back budget of 5 million significantly lower than the reported $25million of his last dramatic outing Where The Truth Lies. Telefilm has financed the screenplay but has not committed to production funding.

I would think carefully on this too if I were Telefilm. The Sweet Hereafter, Egoyan's most critically acclaimed film (he was nominated for an Academy Award as best director) and of a comparable budget to Adoration only made just over $3,000,000 at the box office.

Atom Egoyan - selected box office and budgets.

Where The Truth Lies (2005) $3,477,678 (worldwide). Budget=$25,000,000

Ararat (2002) 2,743,336 (worldwide). Budget= $15.5 million

Felicia's Journey (1999) $819,852 USA (domestic). Budget: unknown

The Sweet Hereafter (1997) $3,252,652 USA (domestic). Budget= $5,000,000

Exotica (1994) $5,132,222 USA (domestic). Budget= $2,000,000

The Adjuster (1991) $396,573 USA (domestic). Budget=$1,500,000

Cannes 60th: Sarah Polley on the jury; Cronenberg and Egoyan part of collection

You got to hand it to the French. It's the only place where it seems, Sarah Polley, Atom Egoyan and David Cronenberg get any respect, or the respect they deserve (although Egoyan has taken quite a career bruising since Where The Truth Lies). The Cannes red carpet will be a nice break from teaching at U of T for Atom.

Polley will join Maggie Cheung, Toni Collette, Michel Piccoli, Maria de Medeiros, Marco Bellocchio and Abderrahmane Sissako on the jury this year, headed by Stephen Frears (perhaps as a consolation prize for losing to Scorsese).

Cronenberg and Egoyan will participate by making 3 minute shorts in the festival commissioned anniversary piece To Each His Cinema. Participating filmmakers include Olivier Assayas, Jane Campion,Chen Kaige, Ethan and Joel Coen, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Takeshi Kitano, Ken Loach, Nanni Moretti, Roman Polanski, Walter Salles, Gus Van Sant, Lars Von Trier, Wim Wenders, Wong Kar Wai and Zhang Yimou.

Good company, but probably a very dull film.

Via the CBC: Cannes-anniversary Film