In an online report, James Hunter has provided new details regarding his lawsuit against “MaXXXine” star Mia Goth, director Ti West, and A24, alleging that Goth kicked him in the head while he was performing as a background actor on the set of the horror film.
In his original complaint, Hunter claimed that he informed the film’s second assistant director that Goth nearly stepped on him during a scene in which he had to lay down on the ground while Goth ran past him. In the next take, Hunter alleges that Goth intentionally kicked him in the head, causing him a concussion, and then “taunted, mocked and belittled him” when Hunter went to use the bathroom.
In a new interview with horror news site Dread Central, Hunter provided more specific detail about this encounter with Goth. He alleges that Goth followed him to a porta-potty in a remote restroom area and pushed open the door to the stall he was using.
When he tried to apologize for not locking the door, Hunter claimed Goth replied, “Nobody will believe you because you’re nothing. Get the fuck off my set, you big baby.” Hunter says he wrote these words down immediately so he could remember them word for word. An attorney for Hunter told Variety that the alleged quote from Goth had been shared with the defendant’s legal team.
Goth, West, and A24 have all denied Hunter’s allegations in court filings. In a statement first provided to Dread Central, a representative for A24 reiterated the studio’s position that Hunter’s claims “are simply not true.”
The statement continued: “As this is in active litigation, we cannot say more at this time but continue to vigorously defend Mia and the entire filmmaking team against these extremely baseless allegations.”
Hunter’s lawsuit further alleged that he felt so lightheaded driving home from work that he had to pull over his car twice, and that he was subsequently informed by the production that they did not want him to return for the remaining two days of his shoot. The suit accuses Goth of battery and A24, Goth, and West of wrongful termination.
“MaXXXine” opened in theaters on July 5, grossing an estimated $6.7 million domestically in its first three days.
Director Ti West and horror star Mia Goth are reuniting for MaXXXine, the third film in A24’s blood-splattered X trilogy. The indie movie follows 2022’s 70s-set slasher X, and 2023’s Pearl, the unsettling prequel that told the origin story of X’s villain. West’s low-budget horror flicks have built up quite the reputation, earning critical acclaim and proving to be successes at the box office. As the trilogy concludes, read on for everything you need to know about MaXXXine, including its release date, cast, and plot.
MaXXXine is out in UK cinemas now, having slashed its way onto the big screen on Friday, 5 July. The film was originally due to land on Friday, 9 August, but its release date was bumped up. A streaming release date has yet to be announced. However, both X and Pearl are available to watch from home if you need to catch up on the gory franchise so far. West originally screened a teaser of MaXXXine during a screening at Pearl at Toronto International Film Festival in 2022. Producers A24 fast-tracked the film to capitalize on the success of the previous two installments.
The neon-drenched official trailer for MaXXXine was released by A24 in April. Soundtracked by Animotion’s track Obsession, the clip transports us to the seedy world of 1980s Hollywood – complete with a serial killer on the loose. Intriguingly, it also includes a glimpse of the iconic Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho on the Universal studio lot. A second trailer landed online in June, giving us a further look at West and Goth’s twisted take on Tinseltown.
MaXXXine has received largely positive reviews from critics. The Guardian called it a “horribly watchable” flick that mixes “pulp, gore, filth, and fear,” while The Independent described the slasher as “nasty, funny, and cogent about the era it’s set in.” IndieWire said the trilogy-topper was “gruesome and vital,” and hailed Goth’s “most well-rounded performance yet.” However, the Telegraph claimed the film lacks substance, despite its “impeccable” style, and instead offers up “a jumble sale’s worth of homages.”
MaXXXine takes place in Hollywood in 1985, six years after the events of X, in which porn star Maxine Minx was the only survivor of a massacre on the set of an adult film. She is now on the road to mainstream stardom, having landed a role in a horror movie called The Puritan II. Meanwhile, a mysterious serial killer known as the Night Stalker is targeting young actresses in Tinseltown. Minx knows three of the victims and, according to the official synopsis, “a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.”
Goth has teased that MaXXXine is “the best film of the trilogy.” She told Variety: “It’s the biggest story of the three with the highest stakes and Maxine has gone through so much at this point. So when we find her in this new world, she’s just a force to be reckoned with and she goes through some pretty wild adventures.”
As mentioned above, Goth reprises her role as Maxine Minx, an adult film star with dreams of breaking into Hollywood. The British actor previously starred in both X and its prequel, Pearl, which was set in 1918 and explored the origin story of the elderly killer behind X’s massacre. Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito plays Minx’s agent, while The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki portrays the director of The Puritan II. Emily in Paris’ Lily Collins is one of Minx’s co-stars on the film-within-a-film. Kevin Bacon plays a private detective hired to find Maxine, while Michelle Monaghan and Bobby Canavale are LAPD officers hunting the Night Stalker. The cast also includes two musicians in Halsey and Moses Sumney, both of whom have prior acting experience. Sumney recently appeared in HBO series The Idol while Halsey will soon be seen in crime thriller Americana alongside Sydney Sweeney.
No. Like X and Pearl, MaXXXine is a work of fiction. However, the serial killer is based on the real-life ‘Night Stalker’ Richard Ramirez, who murdered at least 13 people in California between 1984 and 1985.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, West said that MaXXXine is “probably” the final entry in the X franchise, though he didn’t explicitly rule out a fourth movie. “I do have one idea that plays into these movies that could maybe happen,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll be next. It might be. We’ll see.” Meanwhile, Goth told Digital Spy that “it would be hard to say no to Ti” if he wanted to make another film. She added: “I’ve been working with Ti for the past five years and yes he’s my collaborator, but he’s also my friend. Never say never.”
MaXXXine is out in UK cinemas now.
Source: Variety, Dread Central, The Guardian, The Independent, IndieWire, The Telegraph
