Since Trent Reznor announced the end of Nine Inch Nails as a touring entity way back in early 2009, he's had to keep reminding everyone the band isn't done, that he just doesn't want to tour anymore, etc. A week after his huge Oscar win and following news of yet another film-scoring (and acting) project—not to mention the in-progress debut from his new outfit, How To Destroy Angels—fans wouldn't be blamed for thinking NIN is the last thing on Reznor's mind.
And they'd be wrong. Spin reports that Reznor made one of his regular appearances on NIN.com's message board to update fans about the score for Fincher's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (co-written again with Atticus Ross), the first full-length from HTDA, and the future of NIN:
The three columns of things I'm currently funneling music into – HTDA, NIN and film work – I believe will start to make more sense to you (and me) as everything unfolds. By having a few different outlets for my work I'm finding more inspiration within each one. No, Nine Inch Nails is not dead and I plan to focus on that next.
Whatever "next" means to Reznor, he isn't elaborating. The HTDA album will likely be ready in the fall, and with two scoring projects in the works, it might mean "next year."