‘MaXXXine’ Trailer: Meet America’s New Scream Queen

A24 has released a new trailer for MaXXXine, the third installment in Ti West’s X trilogy. Get ready for Hot (Mia) Goth Summer.

In MaXXXine, Mia Goth’s eponymous protagonist has made it to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a Big F’ing Star. After making a name for herself in adult films, Maxine has her sights set on legit stardom, and she’ll get there by becoming America’s next scream queen. Unfortunately, the past is catching up to Maxine, who also seems to be on a collision course with notorious serial killer the Night Stalker:

In addition to dropping the new trailer, A24 has announced plans to re-release X on June 18 along with an exclusive sneak peek at MaXXXine.

With the inclusion of the Night Stalker murders, committed by Richard Ramirez, I can’t help but wonder if Ti West is revising or recontextualizing history—maybe Maxine is responsible for a few of those murders? Maybe she becomes an unlikely hero and kills Ramirez? Whatever’s going on here, I’m intrigued, especially by the supporting cast, which includes Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Monaghan, Moses Sumney, Bobby Cannavale, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito (and his HAIR), Kevin Bacon, and Halsey.

A24 has set a July 5 release for Ti West’s sequel to X and the third film in his trilogy following the prequel, Pearl. Following Pearl‘s release in 2022, A24 debuted a short teaser for MaXXXine (below):

To recap: X is set in 1979 and follows a small crew of filmmakers and actors who rent a farmhouse on an elderly couple’s property so they can shoot their low-budget porno. Mia Goth plays dual roles in the film as Maxine, aspiring actress and low-budget porn star, and Pearl, a repressed elderly woman who identifies with Maxine and whose dark tendencies are reawakened by the film crew.

West followed X by announcing a full trilogy with Mia Goth as the star, and surprised fans by revealing that he’d already shot a prequel. Set in 1918, Pearl follows a younger version of the X character, whose dreams of escaping her small town life and going to Hollywood grow increasingly violent the more desperate she becomes.