Tony Kaye Returns to a Long-Held Idea for Leicester Monster Film

Tony Kaye is taking inspiration from a decades-old image for his latest project. The British director of “American History X” and “Detachment” is set to direct “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?,” a five-minute short film that will unfold among the giant monster sculptures placed around Leicester, England. The production is being developed as a blend of documentary and reality drama. Its story will grow from the cast and participants’ experiences, with the camera following chance encounters and real interactions. The film is intended to explore whether people can understand and care for one another despite their differences, according to the project details. Kaye said the title recalls a commercial he made about 40 years ago, featuring a dog, a cat and a mouse coming together beside a coal fire as the song “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” played. He said he has never forgotten the image, and sees the Leicester project as a return to the same idea: different creatures gathered together and trying to work out how to live alongside one another. The film’s setting is Leicester Monsters, a downtown initiative by BID Leicester that has installed oversized creatures in public spaces to encourage people to explore the city center. Designs in Air, based in Bristol, created the sculptures. The project will use them as a surreal backdrop while considering themes of belonging, freedom and commitment in a city often described as one of the United Kingdom’s most diverse. Hiu Man Chan, a film entrepreneur and creative-industries academic at De Montfort University, is producing. The project plans to bring Kaye together with emerging actors and filmmakers from the university and Leicester’s broader creative community, using an experimental, collaborative process. Louis Lingjaerde, whose credits include “Vipers,” is the cinematographer. Production is due to begin on Friday.