Don Hertzfeldt has opened up about his reported project with filmmaker Ari Aster, confirming that a “big” and expensive horror project is in the works.
Hertzfeldt spoke briefly about the collaboration at the Overlook Film Festival. According to journalist Carlos Aguilar, who was in attendance, Hertzfeldt was asked about the rumored project and confirmed that it was coming.
While he didn’t say much, he did call it a “big/expensive project” that he had been trying to develop for the last 15 years. Hertzfeldt went on to say that the project is a “horror film” in the same way that some of his previous existential shorts are seen as horror by his fans.
Hertzfeldt has hinted at the collaboration in the past
Earlier this year, Hertzfeldt responded to a tweet that noted a report that Ari Aster could be producing Hertzfeldt’s new film, with the creator simply responding with an emoji of a mouth zipped shut. This quickly sent fans into a frenzy, with many theorizing what a collaboration between the two could mean.
Hertzfeldt is an accomplished animator and is often cited as one of the most influential animators of his time. Eight of his short films have competed at the Sundance Film Festival, a festival record, and he is the only filmmaker to have won the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize for Short Film twice.
His best-known works include It’s Such a Beautiful Day, the World of Tomorrow series, and Rejected. Hertzfeldt has been nominated for two Academy Awards, both for Best Animated Short Films, in his career.
