Variety reports that Silence Of The Lambs director and rock documentarian Jonathan Demme has selected the subject of his next concert film, choosing Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience World Tour as his musical muse. Demme was apparently on hand to film the final performance of the 134-show tour, which wrapped up this January in Vegas. Running in support of Timberlake’s recent albums, The 20/20 Experience Part One and Part Two, the tour saw the singer and dancer strut across five different continents, dropping 30-song shows with seemingly boundless reserves of energy and verve. (Antarctica, sadly, was denied the “Pusher Love Girl” treatment, which was probably a big disappointment for both the resident wildlife, and Timberlake himself, who’s known to enjoy a finely tailored penguin suit.)
Demme, who’s filmed concerts for Neil Young and Kenny Chesney, and whose most recent film was the rock-infused Ricki And The Flash, was effusive in his praise for Timberlake, calling him, “a funky Fred Astaire,” and referring to the movie as “a space age music film.” (It may be worth noting that Demme, a veteran director, is currently 71, and can probably be excused a corny expression or two.) That being said, this is the guy who directed Stop Making Sense, which has a pretty decent claim on the title of best concert film ever made, so if he says his movie is a funky space age Fred Astaire pic, he’s probably got a point.