CUCKOO (2023): Tilman Singer Begins Shaping Second Horror Feature

Tilman Singer begins post-production on ‘Cuckoo’

Singer’s second horror flick, Cuckoo, starts post-production with a release date in 2023.

 The filmmaking team isn’t sharing word one about the plot of Cuckoo. Not so much as a logline, so far, is forthcoming. But Tilman Singer, with a few shorts and one feature available under his belt, is the real enigma. He was born in Leipzig, Germany; he did some animation work and commercials in the USA and abroad before beginning studies at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne in 2011.

Cuckoo is described, however, as ‘neon horror,’ a term completely new to me. It seems to have a broad, rather technical application. The IMDb website defines it as having “a vibrant, highly-stylized color palette that adds to the tone/atmosphere of the movie.” This definition seems a bit generic. (It may or may not be more than coincidence that ‘Neon’ is the Los Angeles based distributor for Cuckoo in the U.S.)

For the purpose of speculation, though, there is only one other film we can go to. This is Singer’s student thesis film, a 2018 feature, entitled Luz. While this movie is not specifically categorized as ‘neon horror,’ it does have striking visuals all the same. And screening it offered some astounding insights to Singer’s sensibilities, both as a writer and director. He definitely has a knack (maybe a genius) for surreal narrative. He plays it any way but safe, that’s for certain, and this work has demonstrated a very unique vision with his first feature foray.

Paul Faltz, the cinematographer on Luz, joined Singer again on this effort, as did composer Simon Waskow, who wrote an outstanding soundtrack. Singer also cast Jan Bluthardt, who played Dr. Rossini in Luz, in this production.

Singer also recruited high profile performers for Cuckoo. Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast), Hunter Schafer (Euphoria, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), and Jessica Henwick (Iron Fist, Love and Monsters) are among the principles. Cuckoo also boasts some high powered producers, among them: Jeff Deutchman (Spencer), Josh Rosenbaum (The Favourite), and Emily Thomas (Solo: A Star Wars Story, No Time to Die, Wonder Woman).

But it will be quite a while before we get to see for ourselves if Cuckoo follows the same path, or what, if anything, ‘neon’ adds something to the horror. It isn’t planned to be released until some time in 2023. But if Singer’s first effort is any indication, it’s sure to be original at the very least.

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Cuckoo will be released through Neon sometime in 2023. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, and Flipboard. This news was brought to our attention by Deadline.