Ari Aster is teaming up with a Canadian filmmaking trio for a new feature film starring Alexander Skarsgård and Hunter Schafer. The film brings together actors from different backgrounds. Skarsgård recently featured in Wicker, while Schafer will appear in the upcoming series Blade Runner 2099.
According to Variety, The Confessions will also feature Maya Hawke and Harry Melling. Hawke gained recognition for playing Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, while Melling recently featured in Pillion.
Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson, and Evan Johnson will direct the film. Aster and his longtime producing partner Lars Knudsen are producing it through their company, Square Peg.
What do we know about The Confessions?
The Confessions is described as a cautionary psycho-dramedy. Its plot follows a group of condemned nuns who witness an accursed, globe-spanning love triangle involving a missing sea captain and his poet wife. The filmmakers have described the film as “part religio-maritime rough-music psychomachy, part hallucinated saltwater shaming parade,” suggesting an unconventional storytelling approach.
The project reunites the three directors with Square Peg after their work on Rumours. The 2024 film features Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and Charles Dance in a political satire about world leaders stranded in a forest during a G7 summit. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
The production team also includes Daniel Bekerman’s Scythia Films and the directors’ Canadian company, Thin Stuff. Telefilm Canada is supporting the film. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are jointly handling North American rights, while Charades is overseeing international sales. Elevation Pictures will distribute the film in Canada.
The filmmakers are taking the project to the American Film Market (AFM), where distributors can explore its international sales opportunities. However, they have not yet announced a production start date or theatrical release window.
With Aster and Knudsen producing, the film also adds another collaboration between Square Peg and filmmakers known for unconventional storytelling.