Summary

• Ti West hints at a possible fourth film in the X horror franchise.
• MaXXXine, set for release on July 5, 2024, will continue the gruesome violence of its predecessors with unexpected surprises.
• Director Ti West confirms that a potential fourth film in the X franchise would be a departure from the expected norm.

The trailer for MaXXXine dropped just over a month ago, and with two months to go until its release on July 5, 2024, director Ti West has confirmed that he does have an idea for how a fourth film could fit into his acclaimed trilogy. MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as Maxine Minx and sees her make her way to Los Angeles circa 1985 to pursue her dreams of becoming a movie star. The film is a direct sequel to X (set in 1979), and a follow-up to Pearl, which served as a prequel to the first film, and was set in 1918.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly to promote the upcoming release of MaXXXine, West was asked what the chances were that his series of films could expand beyond a trilogy. While he did confirm that his latest film “will probably be the end of the Maxine era,” he did mention the possibility of a fourth film. Check out his comments below.

"I do have one idea that plays into these movies that could maybe happen. I don't know if it'll be next. It might be. We'll see."

He elaborated further, saying that what fans believe a fourth film to be will be remarkably different from what's expected. While many sequels might take place in the same universe a few years later, as with the Scream franchise, West says that another film would be a departure from the norm, much like Pearl was from X.

"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."

Ti West Says MaXXXine Will 'Zig Instead of Zag'

X premiered on March 18, 2022, and was quickly met with critical acclaim from audiences, who praised Ti West's ability to deliver a fresh take on the otherwise old slasher formula created by such films as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th. Pearl premiered six months later, on September 16, 2022, and was equally heralded as an instant classic, with critics praising the performance of Mia Goth, and once again highlighting the ability of West to deliver something clever. Both films currently hold a rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and have cemented West's legacy as one of the greatest horror filmmakers of this generation.

While both films have become known for their gruesome violence, West says that MaXXXine is no different. However, he does point out that his latest film will have some unexpected twists that people won't expect. "The threat shows up in an unexpected way," he says.

"Some people, in a very gruesome way, don't make it to the end. If you're expecting it to be part of this X movie and people will be killed, yeah, I'm going to deliver on all those things. But it's going to zig instead of zag in a lot of places that people aren't expecting. It's a very decadent world that she lives in, and it's a very aggressive world that she lives in, but the threat shows up in an unexpected way."

MaXXXine premieres on July 5, 2024, and following that, Mia Goth will be seen as The Bride in Guillermo del Toro's reimagining of Frankenstein for Netflix, which is currently filming. Check out the trailer for MaXXXine below.

X is currently available to stream on Netflix, and Pearl can be streamed via Showtime. MaXXXine is scheduled to be released by A24 on July 5, 2024.