HE is heartened and gratified to read that legendary Russian helmer Andrey Zvagintsev (Loveless, Leviathan, Ellena) is finally back in the game.
Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy is reporting that he’ll begin directing Jupiter, a politically-tinged melodrama, sometime in the spring of ’24. Shooting will happen Spain and France. Zvyagintsev currently lives in Paris.
For roughly two years many of us weren’t sure if Zvaygintsev would even make another film, given his nearly fatal brush with Covid beginning in June 2021.
Wiki exceprt: “On June 25, 2021 Zvyagintsev received the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. On the 3rd day after vaccination, he had a fever of 38-39 °C and was taken to the hospital. On July 8, he was admitted to intensive care. During his treatment in the hospital, he contracted sepsis as a result of contracting a nosocomial infection resistant to antibiotics.”
I know absolutely nothing, but I can’t help but wonder if Zvagintasev might have been deliberately virus-bombed by Putin-allied goons, considering the fact that Leviathian was directly and very sharply critical of the malevolent Russian leader. This is completely baseless speculation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one day evidence comes to light, etc.
Sometime in July ’21, or 26 months ago, Zvagintzev succumbed to an extremely serious form of Covid, which resulted in his leaving a Russian hospital and being transferred to an intensive care ward in Germany. Why the transfer out of Russia? What do Russian hospitals lack in terms of treating lung infections that German hospitals are better at?
A report stated that Zvyagintsev’s lungs were 90% infected, or conditions to that effect.
On or about 5.13.22 Zvyagintsev’s producer, Alexander Rodnyansky, reported on Instagram that Zvagintsev was out of the woods but not fully recovered.
