John Waters Will Return To Directing After Almost Two Decades With Intriguing New Film Project
"Power to the people who punish bad cinema!" — Cecil B. Demented
In the Chicago Review Press book "The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark," filmmaker John Waters revealed that "The Wizard of OZ" had a profound effect on his creative process. He later expanded on that in an interview with Today: "I was always drawn to forbidden subject matter in the very, very beginning. 'The Wizard of Oz' opened me up because it was one of the first movies I ever saw. It opened me up to villainy, to screenwriting, to costumes. And great dialogue. I think the witch has great, great dialogue." He discussed how he liked to find things others didn't like or were afraid of and use them in his work.
If you have seen any of his projects, that statement shouldn't surprise you. Waters is known for his zany, off-beat, and satirical presentation of life in films like "Polyester," "Serial Mom," and "Cecil B. Demented." Perhaps his two most famous projects are the musical "Hairspray," which was adapted into a Broadway musical and got a remake with John Travolta and Zac Efron, and "Cry-Baby," which gave Johnny Depp his first big break into feature films.
Waters has been out of the filmmaking game for a while now. His last film sitting in the director's chair was "Dirty Shame" in 2004. Since then, he has appeared as an actor on shows like "The Blacklist" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." He has also focused on writing, which is leading him back to the director's chair for the first time in 18 years.
He's adapting his book for the screen
You can't go into any project John Waters is heading with an expectation of clean lines or a direction. Many of his films embrace a bit of chaos as he presents a story without much rhyme or reason. Such is the beauty of Waters and his work. He takes taboo subjects and ideas and delivers them to an audience through aimless satire and shedding the typical three-act story. He took that same approach to write his new book, "Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance," which hit the stands in May this year.
The book follows three generations of women who seem to be embodiments of cultural depravity. The eldest of the three performs illegal plastic surgery on animals, and the middle is a thief and lies to people simply out of pleasure. The youngest decides her mother should die and embarks on a murderous journey. This story is the perfect starting point for a Waters project. According to Deadline, he is getting his opportunity to return to his roots by writing and directing a film adaptation of the novel.
"'Liarmouth' is the craziest thing I've written in a while, so maybe it's fitting that my novel was shocking enough to jumpstart the engine of my film career," Waters said. "Thrilled to be back in the movie business, hopefully, to spread demented joy to adventuresome moviegoers around the world." Waters' return to the filmmaking world is sure to delight his fandom. If Waters himself believes that "Liarmouth" is the craziest thing he has ever written, you can bet we, as an audience, are in for the ride of our lives.