Alexander Skarsgård, Hunter Schafer, Maya Hawke and Harry Melling are set to lead the cast of “The Confessions,” a new film from Canadian directors Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson and Evan Johnson. Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen’s production company, Square Peg, is producing the feature, which follows the filmmakers’ political satire “Rumours.”
The project is being introduced at the AFM, with CAA Media Finance and WME Independent jointly representing North American rights. Charades, the French sales company, is overseeing international sales. Elevation Pictures will handle the film’s Canadian distribution, while Telefilm Canada is providing support for the production.
Billed as a cautionary psycho-dramedy, “The Confessions” centers on condemned nuns who bear witness to a cursed love triangle stretching across the globe. A missing sea captain and his poet wife are at the heart of that story. The premise continues the filmmakers’ interest in surreal narratives that move between genres.
Square Peg became involved during the film’s early development, renewing its relationship with Maddin and the Johnson brothers after working with them on “Rumours.” Daniel Bekerman’s Scythia Films has also come aboard. The production brings together Square Peg in the United States and two Canadian companies, Scythia Films and Thin Stuff, the company of Galen Johnson, Evan Johnson and Fritzi Adelman.
Aster expressed his longstanding admiration for Maddin and the Johnson brothers, describing them as among his favorite filmmakers. He called the screenplay “as singular and beguiling as anything they’ve ever written.” In an eccentric statement that invoked a biblical passage, the filmmakers described the project through religious and maritime imagery and celebrated the involvement of their four leads.
The trio’s previous feature, “Rumours,” screened out of competition at Cannes in 2024. Starring Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and Charles Dance, the absurdist comedy follows world leaders who lose their way in the woods during a G7 summit. It was the first feature Maddin and the Johnson brothers made together.
The companies behind “The Confessions” bring credits across several productions. Square Peg’s films include “Bugonia,” “Midsommar” and “The Drama.” Scythia Films’ credits include “The Witch,” “The Apprentice” and “Falling,” while Thin Stuff has worked on “Rumours,” “A.Rimbaud” and “Strong Son.”
