MaXXXine Director Offers Update on Possible Fourth Film in X Series

If the series does get a fourth entry, it will be an unexpected experience.

By Patrick Cavanaugh - May 6, 2024 06:49 pm EDT

Horror fans were both shocked and thrilled when filmmaker Ti West revealed at the world premiere of X that he had secretly filmed the prequel Pearl, and while the announcement of a third film, MaXXXine, seemed more like a given, fans were no less excited to hear about the follow-up. With MaXXXine hitting theaters this summer, fans have wondered if that narrative will continue in some capacity, and while West has confirmed that he might have found a way to further expand this compelling world of characters, he offers fans the disclaimer that any continuation of the concept will likely be something that deviates from fan expectation. MaXXXine lands in theaters on July 5th.

"I do have one idea that plays into these movies that could maybe happen," West confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. "I don't know if it'll be next. It might be. We'll see." He also confirmed that MaXXXine "will probably be the end of the Maxine era."

In X, a group of friends got together to make an adult movie at a Texas farmhouse they rented, only for the farm's owners to kill them off, leaving only Maxine to survive. The prequel Pearl explored the murderous origins of the Texas killers, namely the young Pearl, with Mia Goth playing both Maxine and Pearl.

MaXXXine is described, "In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past." Joining Goth are Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon.

West previously delivered fan-favorite horror movies The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, and The Sacrament, with these latest films marking his first sequels. The filmmaker went on to express how, once he wraps MaXXXine, he will likely take some time to figure out what project could be next, whether it's an entirely original experience or an unconventional continuation of this world.

"Then hopefully I can just put this in a box under the bed, take a breath, and figure out what's next," West pointed out. "I'll say that, if there's more to be done in this X franchise, it's certainly not what people are expecting it to be. It's not just picking up again a few years later and whatever. It's different in the way that Pearl was an unexpected departure. It's another unexpected departure."

MaXXXine lands in theaters on July 5th.

What do you think of the filmmaker's remarks? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

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