Sydney Sweeney’s Upcoming Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation Is The Perfect Follow-Up To Her 2 Best Movies

Sydney Sweeney is in talks to star in a new dark comedy from A24, which will be a perfect fit after two of the rising star’s most recent theatrical successes. Deadline recently reported that A24 and Picturestart would be collaborating on a revisionist take on The Masque of the Red Death, the famous Edgar Allan Poe short story that features a prince that attempts to quarantine himself from a rampant plague, only to find himself face-to-face with it. With discussions still in the early stages, there is no information as to what Sweeney’s role would be in the film.

The Masque of the Red Death has been adapted a number of times into film, with the most famous version coming in 1964 from iconic director/producer Roger Corman and starring horror master Vincent Price. A24’s version has been described as “wildly revisionist” in the sense that it will have a darkly comedic spin on what is traditionally a Gothic horror tale. With that being the case, Sydney Sweeney actually seems like the perfect fit for a starring role, given two of her most recent performances, both of which are among the best of her young career.

Sydney Sweeney Recently Nailed Both Horror And Comedy

Two Of Her Highest-Rated Movies Were Recent Genre Films

Sydney Sweeney has evolved into one of the most well-respected young actresses in Hollywood, with multiple Primetime Emmy nominations along with two People’s Choice Award nominations. She has officially arrived as a movie star after years impressing in television, and two of her most recent projects make A24’s The Masque of the Red Death a perfect fit for her. In 2023, she starred alongside Glenn Powell in the surprise hit romantic comedy Anyone But You, which was a box office smash thanks largely to the charisma and chemistry of its stars.

In 2024, Sweeney made a splash in horror with Immaculate, the religious horror movie that featured her as an aspiring nun forced into pregnancy by the elders of an Italian convent. Sweeney’s performance was singled out as a reason why Immaculate received mostly positive reviews. While it was not the first horror/thriller movie she had been a part of, Immaculate is considered by many to be her finest performance in the genre. With recent demonstrations of her prowess in both horror and comedy, Sweeney is a perfect fit for a darkly comedic spin on The Masque of the Red Death.

The Masque Of The Red Death Is Ripe For An Update

Poe’s Classic Short Story Is A Good Fit For Modern Times

The classic story by Edgar Allan Poe was first published in 1842, and is set in antiquity in a fictional country that is being ravaged by a plague known as the Red Death, which causes a quick and gruesome death. The prince at the story’s center hosts 1,000 other nobles in a castellated abbey to keep them safe from the plague, but all eventually succumb, as the story functions as an allegory for the inevitability of death, no matter their wealth or status. That notion is eternal, and readily applicable to the modern, post-COVID world.

The concept of death’s inevitability is familiar to all, as the entire globe has watched a pandemic not unlike the eponymous Red Death ravage humanity in the last few years. As bleak as the original Gothic horror story is, it seems unlikely that there would be much of an audience for a movie that stuck to the original premise. However, a comedic take on the proceedings, heavy in satire and featuring a charismatic and likable star like Sydney Sweeney, would certainly resonate with a large cross-section of moviegoers.

A24’s New Dark Comedy Is Another Opportunity For Sweeney To Flex Her Range

Sweeney Has Starred In Several Thrillers, But Should Thrive In A Dark Comedy

Many of Sydney Sweeney’s movie roles have come in thrillers (with various subgenres attached), but a comedic version of The Masque of the Red Death will give her an opportunity to play within a truly different style of movie. She has shown her dramatic chops before, especially in television; she received acclaim and award nominations for her work on The Handmaid’s Tale, Euphoria, and The White Lotus. Anyone But You provided ample evidence that she has comedic talents, and Immaculate gave her plenty of scream queen cred as well.

A comedic version of The Masque of the Red Death would be relatively new ground for the young actress. As one of the movie’s stars, it would be on her to find and tread the line between comedy and the nihilistic dread that is inherent in Poe’s classic story. However, as her recent filmography demonstrates, Sydney Sweeney would be the perfect actress for such a movie.

Source: Deadline