A24 and director Ti West have unveiled MaXXXine as the third entry in the world of their X slasher horror franchise. The announcement was made during a screening of West’s second film, Pearl, at Toronto Film Festival. West will write and direct MaXXXine and Mia Goth will reprise one of her two X roles.

A24 and West have been moving insanely fast on this string of projects. X was only released in March 2022, and its prequel Pearl is releasing September 16th, 2022. Now this sequel has been announced and is in development.

Granted, it’s unlikely the turnaround on MaXXXine will be so rapid since Pearl was secretly shot back-to-back with X, which explains the mere six-month gap between the two releases. However, the teaser released at TIFF did promise the next film was ‘coming soon’, so make of that what you will.

X starred Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and Scott Mescudi, and follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple’s rural Texas farm. Soon though, they find themselves threatened by an unlikely murderer. Meanwhile, Pearl serves as a prequel exploring the origins of Goth’s villainous character, and is set in 1918 during the Spanish Flu and First World War.

Not much is known about this upcoming third instalment, but West announced earlier this year that the project will explore another sub-genre of horror while continuing with the series’ depictions of cinema’s influence. MaXXXine will explore the impact on society of the rise of home video releases.

Pearl does not yet have a UK release date, but releases to cinemas on September 16th in the United States. Watch the MaXXXine teaser below: