“I Want Your Sex,” the newest sex-comedy romp from renowned queer cinema auteur Gregg Araki (“Nowhere,” “Mysterious Skin”), has seen its evolution over the past ten years of development. For one, the gender roles of sadomasochistic artist Erika Tracy, played by Olivia Wilde, and her young assistant/sex muse Elliot, played by Cooper Hoffman, were reversed (read our review). But that idea was scrapped post #MeToo movement when Araki felt uncomfortable portraying a woman facing abuse, albeit consensual, from a domineering male boss onscreen.
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The additional time spent making the movie allowed Araki to make further alterations to the screenplay. One especially important one is its depiction of a Gen Z character in Hoffman representing a generation of youths, according to Araki, who are not having sexual experiences these days:
“For this movie, it changed all over the years, but the span of time actually really helped us… Besides flipping the sex roles in the post-Me Too world, I started reading these articles that are mentioned in the movie about Gen Z not having sex, and why aren’t they? So, in a way, the Erika Tracy character became sort of a spokesperson for me, going to Gen Z, “What’s going on? Why aren’t you having sex?” And then Elliot could answer for his generation what’s going on. So, that became, very much, the theme of the movie.”
The result is a sex-positive romantic comedy that, while taking longer than expected to reach the big screen, offers a positive, highly relevant message for Gen Z.
The film stars Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli XCX, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, and Roxane Mesquida. Gregg Araki directs from a script he co-wrote with Karley Sciortino. Araki, Seth Caplan, Michael Heimler, Teddy Schwarzman, and Sciortino produce, with Courtney Cunniff, John Friedberg, Andrew Golov, and Joanne Roberts Wiles serving as executive producers.
The film follows Elliot (Hoffman), who lands a job with renowned and provocative artist Erika Tracy (Wilde). His fantasies come true as Erika hires him to become her sexual muse.
Synopsis:
The erotic thriller and comedy I Want Your Sex follows naive twentysomething Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), who lands a job assisting renowned artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). His fantasies turn surreal when Erika taps him to become her sexual muse, pulling him into a dark, boundary-pushing journey of obsession and murder.
Magnolia Pictures will release “I Want Your Sex” in theaters on July 31, 2026. Watch the first teaser trailer below.
