Jim Jarmusch The Film Industry He Enjoyed Before “Is Kind Of Gone” As He Casts His Next Feature

Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch has been working in Hollywood for decades. And over those years, he’s directed a number of films that are very much his movies. It’s clear the filmmaker doesn’t like to bend to the will of others or work within some sort of massive studio system. Obviously, in 2023, those types of filmmakers are few and far between, as the film industry has changed to the point where it’s increasingly difficult for auteur filmmakers to find a studio that is willing to hand over control to the artist. This is something the “Coffee and Cigarettes” filmmaker is seeing. In a new interview with The Guardian, the filmmaker explained how it is really difficult for an artist like himself to make movies in the current film industry, but he’s going to continue to try.

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Jim Jarmusch is currently promoting his musical endeavors, which he called “liberating,” but he can’t do a full interview with The Guardian without talking a bit about filmmaking, right? And in the discussion, he breaks down why it is becoming more and more burdensome for a “control freak” like himself to find a studio partner nowadays.

“I’m a control freak in that I have to do it my own way,” Jarmusch said. “I have to choose all my own collaborators. I have to have final cut. I have to produce it through my own company. And as for the people financing the films, I allow them to give me notes on a rough cut but I always, contractually, have absolutely no obligation to use them.”

Years ago, these sorts of requirements weren’t nearly as difficult to agree to with a studio or financiers. There were quite a few filmmakers out there demanding similar things and still landing fairly large budgets to do their work. But in a world where the film industry is tightening purse strings, streaming has taken over, and the box office is beholden to the latest, greatest franchise films, Jarmusch isn’t able to ask for what he used to in the past.

READ MORE: Jim Jarmusch Says His Next “Quiet, Funny & Sad” Film Will Shoot This Fall & May Have No Music

“The film industry is kind of gone,” he explained. “It sucks. It’s gotten worse. The kind of split-rights deals – an equal 50-50 shared profits, after costs, with financiers – that I used to be able to do with my films … if you even suggested that now you would be laughed out of the fucking building.”

That said, even with the film industry “kind of gone,” Jarmusch is still working on a new feature. He isn’t willing to give many details about the premise, but he does say that casting is underway. 

“I can’t speak about details but we’re putting together a plan for a film,” he said. “I wrote it thinking of specific actors who I’m now trying to wrangle. Actors are like wild animals that I have to somehow corral because they have so much going on. So, I’m trying to corral some incredible wild animals – I hope I can capture them.”

Considering his last three films (“Only Lovers Left Alive,” “Paterson,” and “The Dead Don’t Die”) have tackled vampires, a bus driver, and the zombie apocalypse, respectively, it’s almost impossible to guess what story Jarmusch has up his sleeve next. One thing is for certain, the filmmaker always lands an incredible cast, so that’s going to be exciting to see come together. 

You can watch the trailer for “The Dead Don’t Die,” his most recent film, below: