Taylor Swift has written a movie and now she’s going to direct it with a major Hollywood studio.
Searchlight Pictures, the production company behind films like the Academy Award-winning Nomadland and The Shape of Water, announced that the singer-songwriter is planning on making her feature film directorial debut with an original script, Variety reported on Friday.
“Taylor is a once in a generation artist and storyteller,” Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said, according to the industry magazine. “It is a genuine joy and privilege to collaborate with her as she embarks on this exciting and new creative journey.”
Swift has previously received directorial accolades for several music videos and her short film for the 10-minute version of her song “All Too Well.” Released in November 2021, “All Too Well: The Short Film” has garnered over 80 million views on YouTube and was awarded Best Direction, among other honors, at the MTV Video Music Awards this year.
Through the process of promoting the project, Swift has opened up about her interest in directing.
“It wasn’t like I woke up one day and I was like, You know what I want to do? Direct,” Swift said at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. “I’ve been on the set of 60+ music videos. And I’ve learned a lot from that process.”
Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro recently praised Taylor Swift for her directing abilities. At a benefit on Thursday, del Toro revealed that they had met up to discuss visual art and said he lent her a few books, including a work he used in creating his critically-acclaimed fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth.
“She’s a very accomplished director, she’s incredibly articulate and deep about what she’s trying to do — and what she will do,” he said at the event. “I have the greatest admiration for her.”
News of her feature film plans came as Swift faced backlash after Variety announced that she would appear in its “Directors on Directors” conversational series. Some social media users lamented that her presence in the series was depriving other less-known filmmakers of the chance to showcase their work. Swift’s conversation with Martin McDonagh, who directed The Banshees of Inisherin, is set to be released on Monday.
There are still many questions left unanswered about Swift’s foray into feature film. Searchlight did not announce a timeline for the project or share any details about the script. Swift’s team did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment.
But fans have already begun to share their excitement on social media.
