A24 are one of the hottest (and busiest) movie studios around. Having only recently released the critically-acclaimedXandEverything Everywhere All At Once, the independent entertainment company has even more treats lined up for 2022; these include theJessie Buckley-starring horrorMen, which will be directed byEx Machinavisionary Alex Garland, andLove Lies Bleeding, the studio’s newest project recently announced byThe Hollywood Reporter.
FromSaint Mauddirector Rose Glass,Love Lies Bleedingwill star Academy Award-nominee Kristen Stewart and be set in the competitive world of bodybuilding. Described as “a romance fueled by ego, desire, and the American dream,” it sounds unlike anything A24 has produced before, except (maybe) for its upcoming Ari Aster movie,Disappointment Blvd., a horror-comedy starring Joaquin Phoenix as a world-renowned entrepreneur. Little is known aboutLove Lies Bleedingbeyond the basics: its director, its lead, and the studios behind it. Here we compile that information, as well as make some predictions about what the movie might have in store.
RELATED:This Slow-Burn Horror’s Most Terrifying Moment Is In Its Final Seconds
The Director
Rose Glass will direct and co-writeLove Lies Bleedingwith London-based writer and director Weronika Tofilska. Back in 2019, Glass made her feature-film debut with thepsychological horrorSaint Maud,an A24 release about a deeply religious, traumatized carer (Morfydd Clark) who seeks to reform her sinful patient. The movie was a hit with audiences and received many accolades, including two Bafta nominations, two wins at the British Independent Film Awards (Best Debut Director, Best Cinematography), and three wins at the London Film Critics Circle Awards (British/Irish Film of the Year, British/Irish Actress of the Year, Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year).
BeforeSaint Maud, Glass directed the short drama thrillerRoom 55,whichfollows a self-disciplined housewife as she spends a night alone at the mysterious Clove Hotel. LikeSaint Maud, the short is erotic and suspenseful, and it’s likelyLove Lies Bleedingwill follow in this tradition; with Tofilska on board, it’s also probabledark humorwill play a part in the movie. The creator of the shortSuicide Is Easy, Tofilska has a knack for balancing suspenseful storytelling with satire, and we’d be surprised if that doesn’t translate onto the big screen.
The Cast
Kristen Stewartis set to co-leadLove Lies Blind, playing the role of “the protective lover of a female bodybuilder.” The role of her girlfriend has not been filled yet, however, with the studio reportedly wanting to cast as authentically as possible, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they hired an actual bodybuilder to play the part. Kristen Stewart is an actress in high demand at the moment. Her recent work inSpencer, where she played Princess Diana with impressive accuracy, stunned audiences, and even earned her her first Academy Award nomination.
Stewart began her career with a non-speaking role in the Disney movieThe Thirteenth Year, and rose to fame playing Bella in the hugely successful (but often mocked)Twilightsaga. Since then, she has moved away from the YA genre andstarred in many independent and mainstream movies, including the 2016 feminist dramaCertain Women, the 2019 reboot ofCharlie’s Angels, and the 2020 sci-fi horrorUnderwater. Somewhat of an LGBTQ+ icon, Stewart’s appearance in Netflix’sHappiest Season, where she plays Abby, a lesbian who plans to propose to her girlfriend during the holidays, was well-received; and her casting in both this movie andLove Lies Blinddeserves praise, especially considering thecurrent debateover straight actors/actresses playing gay characters.
This won’t be the first time she has worked with A24 either. In 2015 Stewart starred alongsideNicholas Houltin the sci-fi romanceEquals, where they play lovers living in a dystopian society. The movie wasn’t too well received, but we expect great things from her next A24 endeavour.
The Studios
A24 will co-finance the movie along with Film4, the film production company owned by the UK’s Channel Four.According toThe Hollywood Reporter, A24 will also produce the movie, alongside Andrea Cornwell of Lobo Films and Oliver Kassman of Escape Plan Productions. Both A24 and FIlm4 backedSaint Maud, and both Cornwell and Kasmman were producers on this film, too.
A24 has an impressive repotoireof thriller movies (Enemy,Green Room,The Lighthouse), as does Film4 (The Lovely Bones,You Were Never Really Here,Last Night in Soho).In fact, the two companies often overlap with their projects; for example, both worked onUnder the Skin,Ex Machina, andRoom. With all of these movies scoring highly with critics and moviegoers alike, it’s safe to sayLove Lies Bleedinglies in great hands.
