Mikey Madison Cast in ‘The Masque of the Red Death’ Alongside Léa Seydoux
The prospect of making a feature-length film out of a short story that can be read in under 10 minutes should naturally inspire a lot of incredulous skepticism and pessimism. In this case, however, there are reasons to be optimistic. The story in question – Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” – may be short enough to have the character of an elaborate Aesopian fable sans talking animals, but it’s also an elegant Gothic tale replete with the kind of dark events and symbolism that could be enriched by onscreen expansion. Moreover, the forthcoming adaptation has cast two actors with sterling pedigrees.
A 2024 Oscar Winner and a Former Bond Star
On January 20, The Hollywood Reporter announced that “The Masque of the Red Death,” which is an upcoming A24 film directed by Charlie Polinger (whose directorial debut, last year’s “The Plague,” had a premise strikingly similar in certain ways to that of “The Masque of the Red Death”), will star Mikey Madison in a leading role – or rather, in two of them. Madison will be playing twin sisters who were presumably separated at birth, and one of whom belongs to the lower class but manages to sneak into a castle gala. The nature of her sister’s character is unknown (is she perhaps a member of the nobility who will reunite with her twin at the gala?).
Madison is an actor known for her roles in two previous horror (or at least horrifying) stories: as one of the Ghostface killers in 2022’s “Scream” and as the real-life Manson Family member Susan “Sadie” Atkins in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” (In Tarantino’s alternative history, she suffered a very red-hot death at the hands of Leonardo DiCaprio’s flamethrower). Her most acclaimed role thus far has been in “Anora,” the drama that won the 2024 Oscar for Best Picture, and for which she earned her own Best Actress Award for her layered, uncompromising portrayal of a sex worker who believes she has found true love.
The other actor whom the article named in connection with “The Masque of the Red Death” is Léa Seydoux, who has a prodigious record in the cinema of both France (“Girlfriends,” “The Last Mistress,” “Farewell, My Queen,” her 2013 breakout role “Blue Is the Warmest Colour”) and Hollywood, where her credits include “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Dune: Part Two,” and the two most recent Bond films. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” according to the article, Seydoux will portray “a scheming lady-in-waiting who is conniving her way to the top.”
What Is It About?
“The Masque of the Red Death,” which was originally published in 1842, takes place in an unspecified kingdom that is being ravaged by a vicious plague – the “Red Death” of the title – from which all the nobility seek to shield themselves by holing up in the great castle of Prince Prospero. This premise has a strong overtone of malignant classism – the aristocracy reacts to an extremely deadly epidemic by shutting themselves out from the plight of the lower echelons and enjoying a lively party with all the sublime comforts of their status.
Ultimately, during a masquerade ball (basically an old-time costume party in which everyone is wearing a mask), their sense of privileged security is shattered by the appearance of a figure wearing the masque of the Red Death. At first, they view this specter as an offensive reminder of the plague that they’re here to banish from their minds, but the figure proves to be more than a mere cosplayer, proceeding to kill Prospero and then to lay waste to all of his guests throughout the castle. This killer is the embodiment of proof that even the wealthiest and most powerful do not have the privilege of escaping a threat simply by attempting to shut it out of their consciousness.
How Will A24’s Film Adapt It?
Simply from the descriptions of Madison’s and Seydoux’s roles, it’s clear that the forthcoming adaptation of “The Masque of the Red Death” will have quite a bit more meat on the bones of its character and story development than the source material: Poe’s short story features no individual characters outside of Prince Prospero, and even he is a mere symbol of aristocratic entitlement rather than a fleshed-out man.
By expanding the tale to feature length, the filmmakers have a great opportunity to incorporate Poe’s eloquent and muscular themes into a narrative filled with characters who are captivating, compelling, and, of course, very well-acted. The fact that the modern world is less than a decade removed from a deadly pandemic, to which far too many people reacted with selfishness and/or denialism, may well make this classic tale of privileged hubris even more poignant.
At this very early stage, it’s not clear how long we’ll have to wait for “The Masque of the Red Death.”
