When writer and director Ti West created and released the movie X last March, it was revealed that he had also filmed the prequel film, Pearl, at the same time, teaming up with A24 to “build a world” that revolves around the slasher genre of horror movies. The first film, which is set in 1979, follows a group of adult filmmakers as they seek out a filming location for their new film. They end up renting a guest house from an elderly couple in a remote location not unlike the Sawyer farmhouse in Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The group consists of producer Wayne (Martin Henderson), his girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), pornstar couple Bobby-Lynne and Jackson (Brittany Snow and Scott Mescudi, respectively), filmmaker RJ (Owen Campbell) and his girlfriend and assistant, Lorraine (Jenna Ortega).
They are slowly picked off one by one until it is revealed that the elderly couple, specifically the old woman whose name is Pearl, are the killers. The motive? Jealousy and rage over her lost youth, desirability, and beauty. Goth plays both the sole-survivor girl, Maxine, as well as the murderous Pearl and underwent 10 hours of extensive prosthetic makeup application on days she filmed as the old woman. Since both films were made simultaneously, Pearl hit theaters 6 months after X. The prequel film was set in 1918 and focuses on the titular character’s origin story. While living on a farm with her German immigrant parents, Pearl (played by Goth) aspires for fame and stardom and is willing to kill for it.
At the very end of Pearl, a stinger was attached to the credits, teasing West’s final installment to the trilogy, MaXXXine. The brief clip imitates a VHS cassette playing, showing helicopter footage over what looks to be the famous “Hollywood” sign, except the letters have been changed to spell out Maxine’s name. The additional “XXX” implies she is still pursuing her career in the porn industry. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the new movie before it comes out!
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on March 5, 2024.
Does ‘MaXXXine’ Have a Release Date?
Image via A24
Maxxxine is set to open on July 5, 2024, right in the middle of the summer movie season. The movie will be joining other horror movies on the summer movie slate, including A Quiet Place: Day One, Longlegs, The Watchers, Alien: Romulus, and M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap. The first film in the trilogy, X, premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas in March 2022, and some were expecting that the third film would follow a similar route, but that doesn’t look to be the case.
Will ‘MaXXXine’ Be in Theaters?
MaXXXine will premiere exclusively in theaters first before becoming available to stream.
We also know that the film will eventually be made available to stream on the Max streaming service thanks to a deal that was struck between A24 and Warner Bros. Discovery in December 2023, which gives Max the rights to stream new A24 movies after their exclusive theatrical window and PVOD window end.
Is There a Trailer for ‘MaXXXine’?
There is no official trailer yet, but the one-minute-long post-credit teaser is available to watch above.
Who Stars in ‘MaXXXine’?
Mia Goth will reprise her role as the titular character, Maxine. Goth was able to juggle three separate roles simultaneously as X and Pearl were filmed back-to-back, which speaks volumes about her abilities. She was most recently seen in Brandon Cronenberg’s horror film, Infinity Pool. Joining Goth in Hollywood will also be Michelle Monaghan, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Debicki, Lily Collins, Kevin Bacon, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, and MosesSumney. That’s a serious cast list, so let’s break down where you know them all from.
Michelle Monaghan is best known for her role as Angie Gennaro in the 2007 film Gone Baby Gone. She was also in the first season of True Detective as Maggie Hart, Detective Hart’s (ex/estranged) wife. While talking to Collider’s Steven Weintraub about her movie The Family Plan, Monaghan gave some details about shooting MaXXXine, saying:
We see Maxine now in a different decade. It’s the third installment of the franchise … We shot it in LA so that gives you a sense of where it is, where it’s set. It’s really an exciting film. I’m so proud. I’ve been a fan of [Ti West’s] work as a filmmaker for a long time, and obviously I love A24, so I’m really excited to have a project with them.
Giancarlo Esposito became immensely popular with the emergence of his villainous character, Gus Fring, in the hit drama series Breaking Bad. He also stepped into the Star Wars franchise as Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian. Elizabeth Debicki played the famous golfer, Jordan Baker, in The Great Gatsby and also appeared in Tenet as Kat.
Lily Collins previously starred in the crime thriller Windfall and played Liz Kendall, the girlfriend of the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy in the drama Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile. Kevin Bacon hardly needs an introduction, but he was most recently seen in the horror thriller They/Them. Bacon has a long resume of roles in horror films, dating all the way back to the original Friday the 13th. Bobby Cannavale starred in the new drama thriller series, The Watcher, and was also in the television miniseries, 9 Perfect Strangers.
Halsey is best known for her singing career, but she did have her feature film debut as an actress in the movie If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. That title alone makes it seem like she might be a fitting parallel to Goth’s character in MaXXXine. Last but not least, is Moses Sumney. Sumney, who is also a musician, appeared in the 2015 film Creed as a member of Bianca’s band. This isn’t the first time Ti West has cast an actor whose background is predominantly in the music industry, as Jackson Hole from X was played by Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. “Kid Cudi.”
What Is ‘MaXXXine’ About?
Image via A24
Set in 1985 Los Angeles, the movie is a direct sequel to X, following survivor Maxine as she continues to chase after fame. With the exact plot details still a mystery, the one thing that is clear is that Maxine “will not accept a life she doesn’t deserve,” and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. The movie will continue to examine the influence that cinema has on society, specifically within the development of home video releases.
With the first film (X) being of the 70s slasher-style of horror, and Pearl following a more “Golden Age of Hollywood” approach, it’s safe to say we can expect a new style and sub-genre of horror to be explored in MaXXXine. Lead actress Mia Goth states that the story for this film, in her opinion, is the best out of the three. She also said that she viewed the story as a sort of “superhero story,” as her character has been through so much, but continues fighting. They do say that working in Hollywood can be a cut-throat industry…
In an interview Ti West gave some details about how MaXXXine will connect not just with X but also with Pearl:
“To round the whole thing out,
MaXXXine
as a sequel to
X
is fine.
MaXXXine
as part of a trilogy is infinitely more interesting, so that was part of the overall concept,” West said. “I think what’ll be fun in
MaXXXine
, I’m not going to tell you what it’s about, but what’s fun is it is an evolution of the character, in the way that you met Pearl in
X
, but then you get to know a different side of her in
Pearl
. Yes, you have met Maxine. It is a continuation of Maxine, but she is at a very different point in her life. It’s going to be an interesting thing to catch up with her when we do, and to see Mia Goth in yet another way.”
Goth also teased the film’s stakes saying in an interview with Collider’s own Perri Nemiroff:
“It’s just such a fun film. Ti, really, I don’t know how he does it. He’s just able to come up with these worlds. It’s just the biggest of the three movies. The stakes are the highest and Maxine has been through so much at this point.”
Who Is Making ‘MaXXXine’?
Image via A24
As was the case with the first two films, Ti West will be writing and directing the film. While Goth won’t be co-writing the screenplay as she did with Pearl, she will serve as an executive producer. West will also serve as a producer alongside Jacob Jaffke, Harrison Kreiss, and Kevin Turen, who all served as producers on the first two films as well.
When and Where Did ‘MaXXXine’ Film?
A24 announced on Twitter on April 11, 2023, that filming had officially commenced. Filming took place on location in Los Angeles, California.