Three Thousand Years of Longing is Academy Award-winner George Miller’s first film since his much-praised Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment in the Mad Max universe. In October 2018, it was announced that the Australian director was in pre-production for this next movie, which stars, potential new 007, Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation, Luther), and Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Snowpiercer).
The fantasy-romance drama was expected to be shot in 2019, but production suffered a number of delays due to the pandemic and related insurance issues. Eventually, it began filming in November 2020 in Australia, and the rest of the filming took place in Turkey and the United Kingdom. Three Thousand Years of Longing will finally have its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May. Much is kept secret about the movie’s plot, yet it is expected to contain a number of action sequences with its focus set on an ambitious but intimate story. The ever-so versatile filmmaker might just surprise us yet again.
Here's everything we know so far about the film.
The Plot
While talking to Deadline, Miller described Three Thousand Years of Longing as “epic in scope,” “anti-Mad Max,” and “dialogue-driven.” The film is both written and directed by Miller himself. Much of the plot has been kept under wraps. However, we do know from the official synopsis that the story centers on “the encounter between a scholar and a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Their conversation, in a hotel room in Istanbul, leads to consequences neither would have expected.”
The Cast & Crew
As mentioned, the two names confirmed for the film are Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. Creatives behind Mad Max: Fury Road have re-united for the movie, including cinematographer John Seale (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley) and longtime Miller editor Margaret Sixel, Academy Award-winning set decorator Lisa Thompson, and Oscar-winning hair and make-up designer Lesley Vanderwalt. The film has a budget of $60 million and is produced by Doug Mitchell and co-produced by Victor Hadida at Metropolitan FilmExport. MGM has the North American distribution rights for the project through its United Artists Releasing label, international rights to the film belong to FilmNation.
Release Date
Three Thousand Years of Longing will have its premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival this May. Miller has served both as a member and as the president of the jury at the festival multiple times. Moreover, his latest film Mad Max: Fury Road, played at Cannes in 2015. Swinton is also a festival regular. She was in five movies that got screened at the fest last May. The full selection for this year's 75th Cannes Film Festival is expected to be revealed by the second or third week of April. Variety predicts that two other U.S. movies will also premiere at the festival, Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Austin Butler portraying the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux is said to make attempts for having a female jury president. Sources say Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz are among his top contenders for the position. However, in order to have either Cotillard or Cruz preside over the jury panel, they would need to have their movies play out of competition. Cotillard is the lead in Arnaud Descplechin’s Brother and Sister while Cruz is in the cast of L’immensitá directed by Emanuele Crialese. Since Miller is a feminist, he would definitely be in favour of having a woman in the president’s chair.
Everything Else: George Miller
Epic scale movies are Miller’s specialties. Undoubtedly, he is best known for being the man behind the Mad Max franchise. Miller raised funds to make the original Mad Max movie, which starred Mel Gibson, by working as an emergency room doctor. You have heard it right, the popular Australian director, screenwriter, producer also happens to be a former physician (!).
Miller has also made the peculiar biographical-medical drama Lorenzo’s Oil and the fantastic dark fantasy The Witches of Eastwick. He is currently in pre-production for Warner Brother’s Furiosa spinoff that stars Anya-Taylor Joy (The Queen’s Gambit, The Witch). It will also shoot in Australia. Miller is also confirmed to direct and produce Mad Max: The Wasteland, the sequel to his mega-success Mad Max: Fury Road. Tom Hardy (Locke, The Dark Knight Rises) is expected to reprise his role as Max Rockatansky.
Miller has said several times that Pinocchio from 1940 is one of his all-time favorites, so it is not a complete shocker that he has tested his wings in the genre of family movies as well. Miller is also famous for heart-warming hits such as Academy Award-winning Babe and the Happy Feet serious. Miller’s versatility in both style and genre is unquestionable.