“Is this not alarming to you?”
A24 has finally released some footage from writer-director Mark Anthony Green’s (who previously helmed acclaimed short film Trapeze, U.S.A) feature debut, Opus, which is set to hit theaters on March 14 following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 27.
The movie boasts a very impressive cast, including John Malkovich, Rosario Dawson, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Stephanie Suganami, and Tony Hale. Ayo Edebiri - who was set to join the cast of Thunderbolts* in a mysterious supporting role before being forced to drop out due to a scheduling conflict - plays the lead.
The story focuses on Ariel (Edebiri), a young writer who receives an invitation to meet a reclusive pop star named Alfred Moretti (Malkovich), who has resurfaced after inexplicably vanishing from the public eye for 30 years. Ariel, along with a number of other guests (played by Lewis, Bartlett, MIdthunder and Mazino), arrives to a lavish villa for a "once in a lifetime gathering," where Moretti plans to play the "greatest album of modern times."
Surrounded by Moretti's obsessive fans, Ariel soon begins to realize that something isn't quite right, and that their seemingly welcoming host may have more nefarious plans.
This first trailer doesn't give much away, but the movie is being described as a horror, and it does seem pretty obvious that whatever Moretti has in store for his guests goes well beyond the usual debauchery.
Check out the trailer below along with the recently-released character banners, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Producers include Collin Creighton and Brad Weston for Makeready, Poppy Hanks and Jelani Johnson for Macro Film Studios, and Josh Bachove. Macro’s Charles D. King is on board as exec produce alongside Sara Newkirk Simon. Additional EPs include musical artists The-Dream and Nile Rodgers, who will also pen original songs for the film, on the heels of a recent Grammy win for their first collaboration on Beyonce’s “Cuff It.”
"A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan."