A new cinematic rendition of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story The Masque Of The Red Death is set to be made by A24. Initially attached to the project was Sydney Sweeney, yet due to scheduling conflicts, the actress had to bow out of the project. Talks are reportedly being held for Mikey Madison to take over the role. The latest Oscar for Best Actress Winner had been reported to be turning down roles in projects such as Star Wars over pay, so this news seems to reconfirm that actress’s hopes to work on more artistically daring and independent projects, over franchise fare.
Assigned director is Charlie Polinger, a recent attendee at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for his debut feature The Plague. A horror film about a 12-year old boy initiated into a dark tradition at an all-boys water polo camp and headlined by Joel Edgerton as the coach, in almost a dark counterpart to his role in George Clooney’s historical sports drama The Boys In The Boat. The Plague played at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard category.
The tale had previously been adapted 61 years ago by low-budget filmmaker and legendary producer Roger Corman, featuring the velvet voice of horror icon Vincent Price as the prince of the castle amidst the outbreak of plague and British actress Jane Asher, most known for being the then-girlfriend of Beatles bassist Paul McCartney. Making do with castle sets made for previous British film productions and featuring the saturated, intense color hues by cinematographer and future director Nicolas Roeg, The Masque Of The Red Death, one awaits to see how Madison, Polinger, and A24 will stamp their own distinct take on this classic Poe story. According to rumors, Madison would be playing a dual role of twin sisters, which would give the film its own spin on the story and also give homage to the 1964 original, where Vincent Price played multiple roles as the prince and the Red Death harbinger.
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