“Anora” Oscar winner Mikey Madison is in talks to star in an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story called “The Masque of the Red Death” that is set up at A24, an individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire.
Charlie Polinger, a playwright who is the director of his upcoming debut film “The Plague,” is directing what’s described as a “wildly revisionist take” on the Poe short story. Polinger is also executive producing the film alongside Lucy McKendrick.
Sydney Sweeney was originally meant to star in the film, but a source says she dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. The project was first reported back in January, with A24 acquiring worldwide distribution rights for the film.
A24 had no comment.
“Red Death” is a short originally published in 1842 about the Prince Prospero as he tries to hide from a plague by hiding himself in an abbey, but in the midst of a masquerade ball, a cloaked figure dressed as a Red Death victim is an unexpected guest. The Gothic fiction is an allegory for the inevitability of death, and the new film from Polinger is meant to be a reimagined take on the story.
For Madison, this would be her first project post-Oscars should a deal make. “Red Death” is expected to film at the end of this year or early next year. However, Madison did join a package for “Reptilia,” a new film that was presented to buyers at Cannes and would be directed by Alejandro Landes Echavarría and co-star Kirsten Dunst. Madison was also briefly in talks to join the “Star Wars” film “Starfighter” opposite Ryan Gosling, but that fell through.
Prior to winning the Oscar for “Anora,” Madison broke out on FX’s “Better Things,” she had a minor but quite memorable role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” which also starred Sweeney, and she starred in “Scream” from 2022.
Madison is represented by UTA, Authentic Talent, and Sloane Offer. Polinger is represented by UTA and Anonymous Content.
THR first reported the news.
