In February, rumours started swirling that acclaimed director John Waters was prepping his first film in 20 years, and stony-faced comedic legend Aubrey Plaza was set to star in it. As it turns out, these hallway whispers weren't entirely accurate — or weren't the most logistically sound, at least.
In a new interview with IndieWire, Waters answered a single question about the project, saying there's new no progress to report since the budget to hire Plaza may or may not be available.
"Every time I comment on that, some article comes out that causes me hell, saying we're making the movie," Waters told journalist Will Harris. So the story goes, Roadhouse Pictures optioned a script from the director for a film adaptation of his 2022 novel Liarmouth, a "feel-bad romance" following compulsive liar Marsha Sprinkles.
"Aubrey [Plaza] likes the script, wants to be in it, I want her to be in it, and every person said, 'No, we don't have a penny of the budget,'" he explained.
The filmmaker concluded, "That is where it is today. Hopefully that will change. But the answer as of today? That's it. In short, there has been no actual movement."
You don't have to look beyond the sub-headline of the IndieWire piece to be reminded that a John Waters movie isn't necessarily a safe economical bet: the director said elsewhere in the interview that he had yet to see Cry-Baby — the 1990 musical rom-com starring a young Johnny Depp — turn a profit in light of its new 4K Blu-ray release.
It was previously reported that the Liarmouth adaptation, first announced in 2022 but delayed by the writers' and actors' strikes, would begin filming later in 2024 in Baltimore, MD. Well... the year's still young?