Like so many horror greats before it, Ti West's ode the genre's 70s roots, X, is getting the prequel treatment with the premiere of A24's Pearl. A little over a month ahead of its release, Dawn of the Discs announced that the bloody prequel will be available on Blu-ray, courtesy of Lionsgate, and fans can snag a copy for pre-order now.
Unlike 1987's Predator, whose prequel Prey is basking in post-premiere glory (as it should) almost forty years later, fans were thrilled to hear that West's slasher X would be getting a theatrical-release for Pearl only months after the first film dropped. In fact, the end credits of X actually featured a teaser clip for Pearl, indicating this double-feature was well underway long before fans were seeing it in theaters. Both films were ambitiously shot during the pandemic, back to back. Talk about confidence in your work. The confidence paid off, and already Lionsgate is making this fast-favorite available to own on Blu-ray. Considering certain mega streaming services are up in the air, more fans are hungry to get their hands on physical media, and Pearl is available for pre-order now at $39.99 retail value on Blu-ray, and $29.96 DVD.
X's "biggest star the world has ever known," Mia Goth, returns to reprise her role as Pearl, a young woman with Hollywood lights in her eyes and blood on her hands. Living in the rural countryside in 1918, during World War I, Pearl (whose given name may be Theda?) will explore the young woman's struggle to escape the confines of her humble living. Seemingly trapped by her responsibilities to her parents, including her ailing father, and their farm, Pearl is dazzled by the silver screen. Her mother is depicted in the trailer as being a heavy-handed guardian who threatens to refuse Pearl freedom from the farm, but the young woman makes it quite clear that nothing will stop her violent enterprise. Nobody, not the girls in town or her own family, will keep her from realizing her dreams.
Alongside Goth, David Corenswet (The Politician) will play the young Howard, who was previously portrayed by Stephen Ure in X, as Pearl's murderous, but supportive, husband. Other cast members listed are Tandi Wright (Jack the Giant Slayer), Matthew Sunderland (The Lost City of Z) and Emma Jenkins-Purro, whose roles are all currently unspecified.
Pearl is written and directed by West, whose directed a number of modern genre staples like The Innkeepers, an eerily Jim Jones-esque slow burner called The Sacrament, and The House of the Devil. The prequel also marks actress Goth's first foray into screenplay writing and she's credited as a co-writer for the feature. Among a number of producers for the movie are Euphoria's creator and showrunner Sam Levinson and song-writer and rapper Kid Cudi, who previously starred in X.
The Blu-ray and DVD for Pearl can be pre-ordered on Amazon, and will be available on November 8. Check out Dawn of the Disc's post below, as well as the full trailer for Pearl, hitting theaters on September 16.