UPDATE: This briefly leaked over the weekend, but A24 has now officially released the teaser for Jeremy Saulnier’s “Slayground,” which is currently playing in theaters, and it plays hard. But why is A24 saying “this fall”? That wording has led people to assume the film is actually coming out this year, but is it? I have my doubts.
I should warn you: based on everything I’ve heard, this teaser is a total misdirection. The movie is not at all what it’s being portrayed as here.
“Slayground” takes its title from the haunted attraction where the lead character, played by Cory Michael Smith, works, and that’s where much of the footage we see here takes place. The actual plot follows Smith’s character, the primary suspect in a mass murder investigation, after he escapes police custody. He goes on the run, attempting to prove his innocence while becoming the target of a massive manhunt.
The teaser is largely made up of surveillance footage pulled from deep inside some nightmare of a haunted attraction. “A24 invites you,” the teaser declares, “to an experience you’ll never forget.” It then signs off with a URL that takes the whole thing a step further: RunLikeHell.com.
A release date still hasn’t been announced, but there’s a countdown clock ticking away on the official site. Maybe it’s counting down to a full trailer—or, if you really want to believe it, the release date itself. Oh, and did I mention a recently tested cut clocked in at 2 hours 30 minutes?
Smith stars in the lead role. Chase Sui Wonders, Sophie Wilde, Stephen Root, Imogen Poots, Matty Matheson, and Young Mazino. Macon Blair also has a small part. It has been described as a “fugitive thriller set around Halloween.” Saulnier wrote the screenplay and is directing. A24 financed and produced the project. There’s some serious talent behind the camera as well. Saulnier has asked Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to compose the score.
Regardless, a new Saulnier film is music to my ears. His 2014 breakout “Blue Ruin” remains one of the great modern indie thrillers, while 2016’s “Green Room” — a brutal neo-Nazi siege film — felt like an experimental horror movie dressed in punk-rock clothing. I even enjoyed parts of “Hold the Dark,” which is often considered his weakest effort. It should also be mentioned that he’s coming off the immense streaming success of “Rebel Ridge,” which, unfortunately, skipped theaters and debuted on Netflix.
The film will star Hugh Jackman, while Hugh Grant and Owen Cooper are circling roles. Jack Thorne, who is red-hot, thanks to his acclaimed Netflix series’ "Adolescence” and “Lord of the Flies,” wrote the script.