The Substance was one of the biggest film festival hits of 2024, but it is not about to expand into a franchise. In an interview with Variety on Saturday, writer-director Coralie Fargeat said that she has no plans to expand the story. She would prefer to create something new than bear down on this concept.
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“No, the point of this movie is to present fresh things to the world,” Fargeat said. “Like, no sequels, no prequels, no number two [or] number three. So, I’m going to be still happy to bring something fresh to the world in a bit.” Fargeat wrote, directed, produced and co-edited this body horror thriller, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. The movie was a favorite among critics after its premiere on the Cannes Film Festival in May, and it got a theatrical release in the U.S. starting on September 20. It is now available to stream at home on Mubi.
Moore plays an aging actress named Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance, who already feels like her career is on a downward spiral as she stars in an aerobics TV show. On her 50th birthday, her producer (Dennis Quaid) fires her from the show due to her age. Elisabeth is offered a black market drug called “The Substance” which promises to produce a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of the user.
[RELATED: The Substance Wins Best Horror Movie (Golden Issue Awards 2024)]
The drug literally creates a second body for Elisabeth, which is played by Qualley. The upkeep of this dynamic is where the body horror really ramps up, and both women struggle with it. Many viewers were haunted by what they saw, and according to the French outlet Le Point, a male executive at Universal Pictures objected to the film’s content so vehemently that the studio broke off its distribution deal for the movie.
Instead, the movie was distributed worldwide by Mubi — a free streaming platform that is supported by ads. Those that want to watch the movie without commercial breaks can also rent or purchase it digitally on most major PVOD stores. Later this month, the movie will be available on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. Pre-orders are available now for delivery on January 21st.
Considering all these issues, perhaps its no surprise that Fargeat isn’t looking to make a sequel to The Substance. The French filmmaker worked on shorts and TV shows before making her feature debut in 2017 with Revenge. The action thriller starring Matilda Lutz was another film festival hit, which was eventually released on Shudder. With two critical successes to her name now, there’s no word on what Fargeat will do next.
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Image Courtesy of MK McGehee -
Image Courtey of Neon/Mubi
