Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has revealed that he is working on a mockumentary about the making of his best-known film, the 2001 romantic comedy Amelie.
Ahead of the film’s 20th anniversary, the French filmmaker told IndieWire that he had been inspired by Peter Jackson’s film Forgotten Cinema.
“It’ll be just stupidity, something very funny, very cheap to make, I hope,” he said.
He spoke of how he had rejected several offers to develop an Amelie sequel, calling it a “bad idea” because it would not star Audrey Tautou, who played the eponymous heroine of the movie.
He also cited difficulties of shooting in Paris due to multiple construction sites around the city, so "Paris is ugly now".
Jeunet, whose last feature film was 2013’s The Young and Prodigious TS Spivet, also revealed that he was in the early stages of developing a sci-fi animated feature and a futuristic comedy.
TS Spivet had a botched release in the US after distributor Harvey Weinstein shelved the film in retaliation for Jeunet refusing to make cuts.
“I’ve been fighting to make a film for four years now because the world is so different now,” Jeunet said. “My films are quirky, and it’s not a good time for quirky movies, because everybody wants to make profit without risk.”
The Amelie mockumentary has yet to be given a title or release date. Jeunet said he is currently working on ideas with his writing partner from the original film, Guillaume Laurant.
