Halsey is making their horror film debut. The pop star was announced Wednesday (April 5) as one of several stars in an A-list cast for MaXXXine, A24’s latest addition to its mega popular X franchise.
Joining Halsey on the project are actresses Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan and Lily Collins, along with actors Moses Sumney, Bobby Cannavale, Giancarlo Esposito and Kevin Bacon. And of course, the X franchise’s recurring leading lady Mia Goth will return for the newest installment, reprising her role as Maxine Minx.
The other actors’ characters have not yet been unveiled. However, the film will take place after the events of X and follow Goth’s character as she continues chasing fame in 1980s Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The plot will reportedly be centered around the perils of underground filmmaking, with Esposito playing an agent in the adult-film industry, Debicki portraying a film director, Monaghan and Canavale serving as LAPD detectives, and Bacon playing a private detective.
MaXXXine will be written and directed by Ti West, the filmmaker behind the original X and its sequel, Pearl. West and Goth will produce the upcoming sequel along with Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss.
Though MaXXXine is technically Halsey’s first foray into the horror-film industry, she did previously write and star in an hourlong, R-rated concept film If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power released in 2021 to accompany the singer’s album of the same name. Released in IMAX theaters before finding a streaming home on HBO Max, the film featured songs from Halsey’s coinciding record and featured elements of body horror, sexuality and birth.
“This film is about the lifelong social labyrinth of sexuality and birth,” opens the film’s trailer. “The greatest horror stories never told were buried with the bodies of those who died in that labyrinth.”
The musician also stars in the Tony Tost-directed Western film Americana, which premiered at SXSW in March.
See A24’s video announcement of the MaXXXine cast below:
