The promotional material forTi West’s“x-traordinary origin story” has been released. DuringX, West’s slasher movie released this past year,Mia Gothplayed two roles through heavy makeup and trick photography. One was porn star Maxine Minx and the film’s main villain, Pearl. Now,Pearlwill tell the story of, well, Pearl, in case you couldn’t figure that one out.
“Part of the idea of this movie that’s cool to me is that there is a bigger thing to it all. What I can tell you aboutPearl, because we’ve already made it and it’s done, is it is very much a story about Pearl. So you will learn more about her,” West toldBloody Disgustingearlier in the year.
The plot summary for the film is:
“Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Lusting for a glamorous life like she’s seen in the movies, Pearl’s ambitions, temptations, and repressions all collide, in the stunning, technicolor-inspired origin story ofX’s iconic villain.”
The film’s poster depicts Goth as a young Pearl in black and white brandishing an ax. Her victim is also in black and white, but their blood is not only red but forms the film’s title on the poster. A much larger version of Goth overlooks the two, smiling with her hands covered in blood and looking directly at you.
A Poster’s Not The Only Thing to Be Released
Upon arriving in New Zealand to begin filming onX, West had to do a mandatory two-week quarantine. During which he decided that he might as well write another movie. Upon calling Goth, theHigh LifeandSuspiraactress said she was willing to stay longer to film a second movie, so they started swiping notes over FaceTime.
“We didn’t know what was going to happen,” Goth told theLos Angeles Times.“We thought at the very least, if nothing comes of it, we’ll write the script and it can serve as a great backstory for Pearl and my grasp on my character.”
Pearlmarks Goth’s first credit as a co-writer. It wasfilmedback to back withX, utilizing the same sets and crew. The first trailer for the prequel film was even shown in theatres as part ofX’s stinger, though not unleashed online. A newtrailerfor the film, released today, which included more footage of the film:
“It is stylistically very different fromX. You do not need one without the other, but they enrich each other in a specific way. In the way thatXis affected, let’s say by 1970s horror independent filmmaking and Americana cinema,Pearlis influenced by a very different era of filmmaking. If we do the third one, it will be affected by a different type of cinema.”
Yes, West has already teased us with the possibility of anXtrilogy. “I always felt like if you’re going to make a slasher movie, you have to make a bunch of sequels,” West told theLA Times. For now, at least,Pearlis marked for a theatrical release on July 21, 2025. The possibility of more films is yet to be determined.
