'Primer' Director Shane Carruth To Direct A Big-Budget Action Movie, What The Hell Does That Mean?

What the what? I love Shane Carruth; I absolutely adored the former software engineer’s (a profession that makes total sense when you look at his body of work) first two films, the esoteric sci-fi offerings Primer and Upstream Color. Thus far in his career he’s made tiny, microbudget films that take years to come together and that you have to actively seek out if you want to see. But all that is about to change.

According to Deadline, Carruth has signed with WME, one of the biggest talent agencies in the business, and they’re going to help him put together his next film, called The Modern Ocean. The film is described as a “nautical action adventure” and will reportedly have a big budget.

Carruth is a filmmaker who builds towers out of almost nothing: Primer had a budget of $7000 and it’s still the most intricate, twisted plot ever put on film; and Upstream Color had a whopping, practically luxurious $50,000 to play with. I can’t even imagine what a big-budget Shane Carruth action movie (that statement feels counterintuitive) will look like. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first person in line to see it, but I have no clue what to expect.

It’s also going to be strange because, with a bigger production, he’s going to have less of a hand in every element. In his first two films he wrote, directed, starred in, produced, edited, distributed, and even wrote the damn music. With more going on, he’s going to have less intimate control, he’s going to have to relinquish at least some authority, and I’m curious to see what impact that has on the finished product.