A24 has been on a roll the last couple of years, and 2022 has been no different. Their new slasher filmXhas just released to amazing reviews, and now for the studio’s next project, they will be teaming up with XYZ Films. The new film is titledNekrokosmand will be directed byMandy’sPanos Cosmatos, from a story he is developing withMeagan Houang. The screenplay will also be written by Houang, who is best known for FX’s upcomingShōgunseries and her short filmIn Full Bloom.
Nekrokosmis being pegged as a sci-fi fantasy film. The plot takes place “deep within a strange galaxy, [where] two lovers are torn apart as they try to survive a malevolent invasion in this phantasmagorical fantasy nightmare.” A24 will be producing the film withNate Bolotinfrom XYZ Films. A24 will also finance the project and handle the worldwide distribution. XYZ Films being involved in this project is very notable, as they handled the distribution of Cosmatos' first filmBeyond the Black Rainbowin 2010 andMandyin 2018.
From the description alone, this is a film that sounds right up A24’s alley. The studio has made a name for themselves in the “elevated horror” sub-genre since the mid 2010s with films likeThe Witch,Hereditary,Midsommar, andThe Lighthouse. They are such a unique studio in both the way they tell their stories and how they always find a new way to shock their audience. WhileNekrokosmdoes not appear to be a straight-up horror film, words in the description like survive, malevolent, and nightmare definitely suggest there will be some scary genre elements thrown in with the story’s epic-sounding sci-fi nature. Also, beyond just horror, A24 has award-winning dramas like Best Picture winnerMoonlight,Lady Bird, andUncut Gems. Because of this phenomenal catalog of titles, fans should get very excited about this film.
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However, another reason to get excited is due to Cosmatos directing the project. Although the director only has two films under his belt, they are two stand out horror films.Beyond the Black RainbowandMandyare incredibly unique when you compare them to many other modern genre offerings.Mandyin particular was a visually creative and gleefully maddening revenge thriller that stunned with its level of sophisticated, emotional storytelling. It also had a crazy and memorable performance fromNicolas Cage. WhenMandyreleased in 2018, the film was being compared to some of the best genre fares made by A24. Because of that, it is exciting to hear that the two parties are finally working together on a project. Also, since Cosmatos' last two films were in the horror genre, that is another reason to suspectNekrokosmwill have some horror elements to it. Recently, Cosmatos directed an episode ofGuillermo Del Toro’sCabinet of Curiositiesfor Netflix, which is currently in post-production
Nekrokosmis still in the very early stages of its development, but given Cosmatos’ insane eye for both explosive visuals and emotional storytelling, A24 fans are in for a real treat.
