A year ago, it was announced that Sydney Sweeney (The Housemaid) was in negotiations to star in A24’s adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story The Masque of the Red Death. That deal didn’t work out, thanks to scheduling issues, and just a few months later, Anora Oscar winner Mikey Madison signed on to star in the film. Now, eight months later, The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Madison finally has a co-star, with Léa Seydoux (Dune: Part Two) joining her in the cast.
Poe
Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death finds the wealthy Prince Prospero sealing himself and a thousand nobles in his abbey to escape a deadly plague, the Red Death. Prospero hosts a lavish, color-themed masquerade ball in seven elaborately decorated rooms. At midnight, a mysterious figure, dressed as a victim of the plague, appears, terrifying guests. Prospero confronts the figure but finds nothing beneath the costume, collapsing and dying, followed by all the guests, as the Red Death ultimately claims everyone, proving death is inevitable.
Film
Written, directed, and executive produced by Charlie Polinger (Sauna, A Place to Stay), the A24 production is said to be a “darkly comedic” take on Poe’s story. Details are being kept under wraps, but The Hollywood Reporter has heard that Madison is playing twin sisters in a story that sees a mad prince take the noble class into his castle while a plague devastates the peasantry. The story sees a long-lost twin, hidden among the lower class, enter the castle and into a decadent world of orgies, opium, power schemes, revenge and decapitations.
There’s no word on which character Seydoux will be bringing to life.
Lucy McKendrick is also serving as an executive producer.
Adaptations
First published in 1842, The Masque of the Red Death has been brought to the screen multiple times over the years, most notably by producer/director Roger Corman back in 1964. A version of the story’s events was also recently featured in the Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher, which was created by Mike Flanagan and drew inspiration from several different Poe stories.
Are you interested in seeing A24 and Charlie Polinger’s take on The Masque of the Red Death, and are you glad to hear that Léa Seydoux has joined Mikey Madison in the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
