Now that we definitely, for realsies have a release date for “Tenet,” it’s time to re-focus all our attention to the other cinematic gems that don’t yet have a release date for this year. It just so happens that two of those films, “The Green Knight” and “Saint Maud” are being held hostage by A24, without any ransom letter or list of conditions for their release.
Speaking with Screen Daily, “Saint Maud” producer Andrea Cornwell talked about the planned release for the horror movie, which deals with a young nurse convinced she must save the soul of a retired dancer ravaged by cancer. “We were days away from getting on a plane and doing a Q&A tour around the States when lockdown happened,” Cornwell said. “But the nice thing is the film had been launched at a bona fide audience-in-the-seats festival. And we’ve got fabulous partners in Studiocanal and A24 who remain very committed to the theatrical nature of the film.”
While Studiocanal has already scheduled the film for release in the U.K. this October, A24 remains mum about a stateside release. Both the filmmakers and distributors are “continuing to play it by ear,” as Cornwell puts it. “We want people to see it but we want people to be safe,” she added. “If there wasn’t going to be a safe theatrical environment, then we would want audiences to see it above and beyond any other interest we have in keeping it [the release] as purely theatrical.”
As for “Saint Maud” director, Rose Glass is now preparing a new project that Cornwell will once again produce with Oliver Kassman. Though details remain under wraps, Cornwell confirmed the project “has got genre elements but it is not horror, it is set in the US and has a bigger visual palate.” Even more interesting is Cornwell’s comment that the film “is definitely expanding the universe we worked in with ‘Saint Maud.'”
Those fortunate enough to have seen the film may raise their eyebrow at the prospect of more stories in the same universe, given how “Saint Maud” ends. For now, we’ll have to wait until A24 finally decides to release the film.