I’ve predicted two or three times that Steven Soderbergh‘s stated intention to quit directing films on favor of painting would not turn into a permanent retirement but a “Frank Sinatra retirement,” or a battery-recharging sabbatical of two or three or four years. I repeated that prediction, in fact, to Soderbergh himself at an LA Film Festival party last June.
Well, in Venice today Soderbergh confirmed this. A year or so from now he’ll be doing a temporary withdrawal from directing. Five years, maybe less, but mainly to re-orient his head. How did I know this earlier? Precognition, ether in the air, insect antennae, etc.
