After springing on to the scene with Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly hasn’t exactly enjoyed a lot of box office success. Twisty, OTT sci-fi follow-up Southland Tales was a messy bomb and he fared little better with Richard Matheson adaptation The Box. So he could be forgiven for trying something a little more straightforward with his next film, Corpus Christi.
The story will be set in the eponymous Texas city, and follow mentally-challenged Iraq veteran Paciencia “Patience” De La Rosa, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with his boss, supermarket chain owner and wannabe political hotshot Ralph Salverson.
There’s no word on any casting yet, though Kelly is looking for actors and has part of the money to get the film made thanks to his Darko Entertainment company. He’s also getting some producing support from old mucker Eli Roth.
And with investors interested in the project, it looks like Kelly has a good shot at kicking off filming this July on location in the Lone Star state. Fingers crossed it strikes more of a chord than his recent releases. But if you’re a fan of Kelly and have yet to hear the interview, we highly recommend a chat he had late last yearwith Kevin Smith, in which he talked candidly about his career to date and the challenges he’s faced.