Comedies, melodramas and crime mysteries have been his stock-in-trade, and he recently dabbled with sort-of horror in The Skin I Live In. Pedro Almodovar has never directed a science-fiction film however, but that may be about to change, with the director informing a BAFTA audience that the subject is very much on his mind.
Almodovar was in London both to belatedly accept The Skin I Live In's BAFTA award for Best Film Not In The English language, and to deliver the institute's annual David Lean Lecture on his personal film heritage. Clips representing his key influences covered Ingmar Bergman and John Cassavetes, but there was also room for Jack Arnold's The Incredible Shrinking Man.
"The way I would like to do a science-fiction movie is to present something impossible in a real, domestic way," the director explained. "I am still young enough to make one. I have ideas for the genre. One of the scripts currently on my desk is of that genre, so I hope to make it."
Variety reports that Pedro also cited Invasion Of The Body Snatchers as a touchstone. If he was to actually tackle that story, he'd be the fifth director to do so, following Don Siegel, Philip Kaufman, Abel Ferrara and Oliver Hirschbiegel. But of course, nothing's that straightforward on Planet Almodovar.
Don't expect anything in the very near future though. "I live with my stories for many years," he warned. "I write more like a novelist than a screenwriter." One to keep an eye on as a tantalising future prospect then. Hey, maybe we should add Almodovar to our list of potential Star Wars directors.* Now that would be something...
Almodovar's next film, the comedy I'm So Excited, stars Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega. It's out in the UK next August.
*Joke. Ho ho, readers.