The stars are aligning for the award-winning music video director Keith Schofield’s feature-film directorial debut. Gabriel LaBelle, who broke out starring as the young aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, signed on to star in Schofield’s passion project, a dark comedic cyberpunk titled Not Safe for Life. The film is also backed by successful producers like Caviar (Chloé Zhao’s The Rider) and Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy director Jon Watts’ Freshman Year (Final Destination: Bloodlines). With production kicking off this month in Bulgaria, fans can expect exciting updates in the future.
Best known for directing the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy and the Emmy-winning series Skeleton Crew, Watts has put his faith in Schofield’s vision, with the director/producer commenting on his involvement in the exciting cyber thriller to Variety, saying:
“I’ve been a fan of Keith’s music video and commercial work for a long time and am thrilled to support his fresh cinematic vision as he takes this next step as a filmmaker.”
Schofield has proven himself in the music video arena with the Duck Sauce music video “Mesmerize,” which won Music Video of the Year at the 2021 UK Music Video Awards. The director will now step into the film scene with his take on the depravity of the internet age. With Watts backing his idea for the film, fans can anticipate a ticket-worthy experience in Not Safe for Life. The upcoming film will follow a man who takes on a group of internet trolls on a dissolute online message board to defend the honor of a girl who doesn’t even know he exists.
Schofield described his passion project as “the movie about the Internet I’ve been wanting to see my entire life and I still can’t believe we’re making it. It’s going to be hilarious and terrifying and smart and stupid and loaded with sex and violence. My parents will be absolutely mortified.”
The film has promise, as it is being produced by Michael Sagol for Caviar alongside Watts and Michael M. McGuire. While audiences know very little about the daring project, production has begun, and we will learn more in the coming months. Sagol commented on the filmmaker’s jump to the big screen and his faith in the bold project, saying:
“Keith has crafted a story that has his undeniable touch, and we couldn’t be prouder to be a part of bringing it to life.”
Schofield’s award-winning music video already showcases the filmmaker’s unique ability to bring internet usage and the aesthetic of the internet age to life for the screen. It is clear to fans that the director is passionate about putting digital activity into a digestible and comprehensive experience for audiences.
The “cyberpunk” phrase might not currently be as commonplace as in previous years in pop culture, due in large part to the “internet” becoming the go-to descriptor of similar fare. Cyberpunk can be represented as both an aesthetic and as an ethos, typically in sci-fi dystopias where people exploit tech to pull off nefarious deeds. The tongue-in-cheek director appears to be aware of the absurdity of life in the digital age, making Watts’ faith in Not Safe for Life a bold deviation from his reputation as a skilled creative in more mainstream projects for the brand-safe company Disney.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
