SPOILER WARNING: The following contains many crucial plot details from recent horror movies X and Pearl. If you have not seen either, think of this article as an X-rated film that you should proceed to view with caution.
Horror fans were already praising writer and director Ti West in 2022 for resurrecting a beloved era of the slasher sub-genre with his dark, dirty, 1979-set hit, X, before they were immediately treated with a peek at a prequel inspired by cinema’s more primitive age called Pearl in a post-credits teaser. Now, it appears that the indie horror hero is tackling another monumental time in Hollywood’s storied history with the final installment of this new trilogy called MaXXXine.
Already one of the most anticipated upcoming horror movies, there is still very little that we really know regarding the plot of this X sequel, which is currently in pre-production. However, what we do know has us excited to the maxxx. The following is a guide to all the most essential and confirmed facts about the upcoming A24 movie, MaXXXine.
What Is The MaXXXine Release Date?
MaXXXine is set to come out on July 5, 2024. According to Horror Fuel, the film completed principal photography in late May 2023 – just a little more than a month after the cameras started rolling. It’s almost scary how quickly the project was able to wrap, but it’s pleasing to see it secure a spot on the 2024 movies schedule.
The MaXXXine Trailer Teases The Franchise's Foray Into Mystery Thriller Territory
While X was a straight-up slasher and Pearl was more of a character-driven psychological thriller, the first official trailer for MaXXXine suggests that Ti West is introducing a deeper, giallo-style aura of mystery with the threequel. We also catch a glimpse of the title character's stronger sense of confidence (even with the infamous Night Stalker roaming the streets of Hollywood) amid dazzling (and disturbing) shots of '80s-era Tinseltown. Take a look at the suspenseful, star-studded teaser for yourself below:
The new clip is a far more revealing trailer than the very first teaser for MaXXXine, which was released immediately after the premiere of Pearl at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Bearing an authentic-looking, VHS-style graininess and featuring Animotion’s synth-drenched 1985 hit, “Obsession,” it initially appears to show an overhead shot of Los Angeles’ unmistakable Mount Lee, where the Hollywood sign stands. However, the camera hovers over the hill and continues to pan out, revealing the text “MAXXXINE” in the iconic letters’ place.
Mia Goth Reprises The Title Role Of MaXXXine
Considering how Maxine was the only surviving central character from the X cast, it should come as no surprise that none of Mia Goth’s co-stars from the 2022 slasher are returning for the new follow-up. However, the newcomers to the franchise joining her, as revealed in a video posted to X by A24, are, undeniably, a source of excitement.
Mia Goth (Maxine Minx)
Mia Goth is returning to play Maxine Minx for a second and, supposedly, final time in MaXXXine. The London-born Scream Queen – also known for Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake and Brandon Cronenberg’s twisted, satirical 2023 horror flick, Infinity Pool – first played the aspiring porn star in the A24-produced horror flick, X, in which she also played the elderly and murderous Pearl under heavy Oscar-worthy makeup. Also in 2022, Goth reprised said role as the character’s younger self in the chilling prequel, Pearl.
Elizabeth Debicki (Elizabeth Bender)
One newcomer to the X trilogy appearing in MaXXXine as film director is Emmy-nominated The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki, who shares a first name with her filmmaker character, Elizabeth Bender. Like Goth, the fellow English actor is also part of the MCU (Goth is in the upcoming Blade reboot) as Ayesha in the latter two Guardians of the Galaxy movies and previously tried her hand at horror with the third Cloverfield movie: Netflix’s The Cloverfield Paradox.
Moses Sumney (Leon Green)
MaXXXine will see Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney in one of his biggest acting roles yet as Leon Green. He made his acting debut in 2015’s Creed as a member of Bianca’s band before appearing as himself in an episode of HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness and, in 2023, landing a major role in the network’s The Idol cast as Izaak.
Michelle Monaghan (Detective Williams)
Before playing LAPD's Detective Williams in MaXXXine, Michelle Monaghan’s horror credits included her greatly diminished part in 2005’s Constantine, her role in 2020’s The Craft: Legacy cast, and, in 2022, Amazon's original thriller Nanny, her dual role in Netflix’s hit miniseries Echoes, and a vampire movie called Blood. The actor is even better known as Ethan Hunt’s estranged wife in the Mission: Impossible movies, Robert Downey Jr.’s childhood crush in 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and the co-lead in Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone.
Bobby Cannavale (Detective Torres)
Another fellow MCU star (from the Ant-Man movies, specifically) in the MaXXXine cast (as Williams' partner, Torres) is Bobby Cannavale, who has never really done a full-on horror movie (unless you count Snakes on a Plane), but his hit Netflix series, The Watcher, certainly has its scary moments. The actor’s claims to fame also include his Emmy-winning performances on Will & Grace and Boardwalk Empire, which marked one of his first times working with Martin Scorsese before he led HBO’s Vinyl and appeared in The Irishman cast as Skinny Razor.
Lily Collins (Molly Bennett)
Playing Maxine's co-star in a horror movie called The Puritan is Lily Collins, who could be considered a Scream Queen, having played Ted Bundy’s girlfriend in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and lent her voice to the Apple TV+ anthology series, Calls. However, the daughter of musician Phil Collins is better known from the Oscar-winning drama, The Blind Side, and playing the title role of Netflix’s Emily in Paris cast, especially.
Halsey (Tabby Martin)
Another notable musician in the MaXXXine cast (as Maxine's friend, Tabby Martin) is Halsey, who has shown her own enthusiasm for the horror genre in some of her songs (i.e. “Ghost,” “Nightmare,” and “Graveyard”) and, especially, in her 2021 visual album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. She made her cinematic acting debut in the Sing 2 voice cast after previously nailing her SNL hosting gig in 2019.
Giancarlo Esposito (Teddy Knight)
We are surprised to see that there is no evidence in the trailer suggesting the villain of this story is Giancarlo Esposito’s Teddy Knight. Many of the Emmy-nominated actor’s most celebrated roles have been some bad dudes, to say the least – such as Gus Fring from the Breaking Bad cast, when he joined the Star Wars universe as Moff Gideon on The Mandalorian, to name a few, and his role in Radio Silence's Abigail as the lead kidnapper of the titular vampire.
Kevin Bacon (John Labat)
The most experienced horror movie icon in the MaXXXine cast is Kevin Bacon, who plays John Labat -- a private investigator assigned to look for the title character. The actor previously fell prey to one of the Friday the 13th movies’ best kills in the 1980 original and battled man-eating worms in the first Tremors, to name a few of his creepy credits. He is, of course, also known for leading the original Footloose and also joined the MCU with an appearance in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special as himself.
Maxine Encounters More Deadly Circumstances As She Lands Her Big Break
MaXXXine is a direct sequel to X following Goth's character as her ongoing pursuit for fame takes her to Los Angeles in 1985. As seen in the promotional material, she lands a part in a horror movie called The Puritan just as the city becomes plagued by the horror of a real-life killer referred to as the Night Stalker, who was later identified as Richard Ramirez.
As Ti West previously told to IndieWire, the film will also comment on “how home video has affected people” during the 1980s. This is similar to how X was about the effects of amateurish indie filmmaking at the time it was set and Pearl was about Old Hollywood’s dark hidden secrets. It really is refreshing to see a horror franchise offering potent historical commentary amid its more grotesque viscera.
Ti West Is Writing, Directing, And Producing MaXXXine
I think most fans would agree that the best horror movie franchises are the ones in which (nearly) every installment is helmed by the same filmmaker. For instance, there is Sam Raimi with the original Evil Dead movies trilogy, Wes Craven with the first four Scream movies, and… well, I guess there are not too many other examples, are there? That gives me all the more reason to be excited that West’s X trilogy is a purely singular vision as he is returning as the writer, director, and producer (along with frequent collaborator Jacob Jaffe) of MaXXXine, according to Deadline.
West first broke out with his third feature-length effort, 2009’s The House of the Devil — another period horror flick and eerie slow-burn with allusions to ‘80s-era Satanic Panic, and one of the best horror movies on Pluto TV — and followed that up with a straight-to-video sequel to Cabin Fever the same year. He later submitted his take on the haunted house (or hotel) genre with 2011’s The Innkeepers, teamed-up with some of his indie horror compatriots for 2012’s acclaimed anthology horror movie, V/H/S, and put out his own found footage thriller in 2013 with The Sacrament. X actually marked the filmmaker's return to horror cinema after making the 2016 western, In a Valley of Violence, and helming episodes of horror TV shows like Wayward Pines and Amazon Prime’s Them.
Ti West Has An Idea For A Fourth Installment
As exciting as it is knowing that the X trilogy will soon come to a close, what may be even more exciting is the possibility that it is not quite done yet. During an interview with YouTube channel, What’s Under the Bed, West teased the potential for another installment with the following quote:
There is this one weird idea that I have that is kind of… if I explained it, it would make sense. But we’ll see what happens. Let’s get this movie done first, see if people like it. Then we’ll go from there.
He later reflected on the possibility of an X quadrilogy when he spoke to EW in May 2024. He still seems hesitant to explain much more about what the follow-up to MaXXXine could be, but keeping us in the dark for now might be the right call.
Rarely have I anticipated the third installment of a horror franchise this strongly, but what West and Goth have done with the story so far is astonishing. See how it all ends(?) when MaXXXine hits theaters.
