It seems like veteran filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will be first in line to see the directorial debut film from pop star Taylor Swift. Recently, it was announced that Swift was writing an original screenplay with plans to direct the movie for Searchlight Pictures. Not many details have yet been revealed about the project, but it will serve as the first feature film to be directed by the accomplished singer. Swift previously directed short films to dip her toe into filmmaking before setting up the Searchlight deal for a feature-length project.
“Taylor is a once-in-a-generation artist and storyteller," Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said in a statement. "It is a genuine joy and privilege to collaborate with her as she embarks on this exciting and new creative journey.”
Now, a revered filmmaker has offered his endorsement to Swift with her upcoming work in movies. Guillermo del Toro has weighed in on the subject for a new interview with W Magazine. He shared his thoughts on Swift's potential, feeling that she's already shown herself to be "incredibly articulate." Del Toro also says he gave her the book that inspired him in part to create Pan's Labyrinth, as the two share a love for fantasy and fairy tales.
"She's a very accomplished director, she's incredibly articulate and deep about what she's trying to do — and what she will do," said the mastermind behind Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. "I greatly admire her; we had one of the most stimulating and gratifying conversations. We have many, many common interests. And her interest in fable and myth and the origins of fairy tale is quite deep. So I gave her a few books that I thought would be interesting for her—among them, very importantly, a book that was useful for me in creating Pan's Labyrinth called The Science of Fairy Tales, which codifies and talks about fairy tale lore."
Taylor Swift Has Experience in Filmmaking
Swift's filmmaking work includes writing and directing All Too Well: The Short Film. After taking an interest in getting behind the camera with so much time spent filming music videos, Taylor found she enjoyed working on shorts, and previously teased in a Variety interview that she was planning to move on to directing feature-length movies.
“It would be so fantastic to write and direct something… a feature,” Swift explained. “I don’t see it being bigger, in terms of scale. I loved making a film that was so intimate.”
Perhaps explaining why we currently know nothing about Swift's directorial debut, the singer added, “I’m really secret agent-y about people not finding out what we’re making. Everything was [discussed using] code words. I’m so weird.”
You can watch the short film, which has garnered 80 million views on YouTube, below.