Léa Seydoux Boards A24’s Darkly Comedic Masque of the Red Death With Mikey Madison

A24 is once again diving into dark, stylish territory, and this time it’s bringing some serious star power along for the ride. Palme d’Or-winning actress Léa Seydoux has officially signed on to star opposite Oscar winner Mikey Madison in The Masque of the Red Death, a new film that promises a bold, revisionist spin on Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story.

Details about Seydoux’s character are being kept tightly under wraps, but the project itself is already sounding like anything but a straightforward adaptation. The original Poe story, first published in 1842, centers on Prince Prospero, a wealthy noble who retreats into a fortified abbey with other elites while a deadly plague ravages the outside world. Their plan? Party through the apocalypse. But as their lavish masked ball unfolds, a mysterious figure appears, forcing everyone inside to confront the reality they thought they could lock out.

This new version is being billed as a darkly comedic reimagining, and it comes from writer-director Charlie Polinger, who recently made waves with his Cannes-premiering debut The Plague (ironically enough, a completely different story). The film is being produced by Picturestart’s Julia Hammer and Erik Feig, alongside James Presson and Lucy McKendrick, with A24 handling worldwide distribution.

Seydoux’s casting feels like a natural fit for a project like this. Over the years, she’s built an impressive résumé working with auteurs such as Wes Anderson, Yorgos Lanthimos, David Cronenberg, Bertrand Bonello, and Mia Hansen-Løve. Most recently, she appeared in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, and franchise fans will also recognize her as Madeleine Swann from the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die. She won the Palme d’Or in 2013 for Blue Is the Warmest Colour, a distinction she famously shared with her co-star.

Looking ahead, Seydoux has a packed slate, including Arthur Harari’s The Unknown, Marie Kreutzer’s Gentle Monster opposite Catherine Deneuve, and the Zellner Brothers’ Alpha Gang, which also stars Cate Blanchett and Dave Bautista.

With A24 backing it, a darkly comic tone, and a cast led by Seydoux and Madison, The Masque of the Red Death is shaping up to be a stylish, unsettling take on Poe that could feel eerily timely.