Alexander Skarsgård, Hunter Schafer, Maya Hawke and Harry Melling are set to star together in an upcoming film titled The Confessions. The project follows a story involving condemned nuns, a missing sea captain and a love triangle stretching across the globe. Variety revealed the casting in an exclusive report on November 10, providing the first substantial details about the new collaboration.
Ari Aster is also involved, although he won’t be directing the film. Aster is producing through Square Peg, the company he runs with Lars Knudsen. The Confessions is being directed by Canadian filmmakers Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson and Evan Johnson, whose previous work offers some clues about the kind of story they might tell.
The Confessions brings together four actors
According to Variety, Skarsgård, Schafer, Hawke and Melling are all set to star in the film. Their individual character assignments have not been disclosed, so there is no confirmation about who will play the sea captain, the poet or anyone associated with the condemned nuns. The casting announcement identifies the actors involved but provides no further details about their roles.
Schafer became widely known through Euphoria and later appeared in the horror film Cuckoo. Hawke is familiar to many viewers as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, while her film credits include Do Revenge and Asteroid City. Both performers have experience with different kinds of stories, and we’re interested in seeing how they’ll work with filmmakers known for unconventional storytelling.
The story involves a missing sea captain and condemned nuns
Variety describes The Confessions as a cautionary psycho-dramedy, suggesting a combination of psychological tension and comedy. The reported premise follows a group of condemned nuns witnessing an accursed, globe-spanning love triangle involving a missing sea captain and his poet wife. The synopsis establishes the central situation but leaves many details about the characters and their relationships unexplained.
The decision to tell the story through the perspective of condemned nuns is an unusual part of the premise. Their role as witnesses is specifically mentioned in the announced synopsis, although the nature of their involvement remains unclear. We don’t yet know what they have been condemned for, why the captain is missing or how the different events connect. None of those questions has been answered in the casting announcement.
The description of the film as a psycho-dramedy points toward psychological conflict and humor, but it doesn’t confirm that The Confessions will be a conventional horror movie. The filmmakers have previously worked with stories that combine different tones, making the description consistent with their established interests. At QuirkyByte, we’re particularly interested in how they’ll approach the relationship between the nuns and the central love triangle.
Guy Maddin and the Johnson brothers are directing
Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson and Evan Johnson are directing The Confessions, and their previous feature together provides some context for the new project. Their political satire Rumours premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 and featured Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander and Charles Dance. The film followed world leaders who found themselves in an increasingly absurd situation after becoming lost in the woods during a G7 summit.
Rumours demonstrated the trio’s interest in surreal humor and situations that depart from conventional storytelling. Their films often present unusual events without relying on familiar explanations or narrative structures. The combination of religion, maritime imagery and troubled relationships in The Confessions appears compatible with those interests, although the filmmakers haven’t revealed exactly how they intend to approach the new story.
Ari Aster is producing through Square Peg
Aster’s involvement has attracted attention, but he is participating as a producer rather than the director. Variety reports that Square Peg, the production company associated with Aster and Lars Knudsen, is producing The Confessions. Maddin and the Johnson brothers are directing the feature, so it would be inaccurate to describe the movie as Aster’s next directorial project.
Square Peg has previously worked with the trio on Rumours and became involved in The Confessions during its early development. The company’s credits include Midsommar and Bugonia, while Daniel Bekerman’s Scythia Films is also involved in the new production. Thin Stuff, associated with Galen and Evan Johnson and Fritzi Adelman, is another producing participant, with support from Telefilm Canada.
The project is entering the film market
Variety also reported that The Confessions is being launched at the American Film Market. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are co-representing North American rights, while French company Charades is handling international sales. Elevation Pictures is attached to distribute the film in Canada, giving the project a confirmed distribution arrangement in that territory.
The market launch provides information about how the film is being presented to distributors, but it doesn’t establish a worldwide theatrical release. Variety has not reported a filming start or release date, and no trailer has been officially confirmed. Any material claiming to contain footage from the production should therefore be treated cautiously until an official release is announced.
What makes The Confessions an interesting upcoming film
The Confessions is an original project rather than another installment in an established franchise. Its announced cast includes four recognizable performers, while Maddin and the Johnson brothers bring experience with surreal storytelling. The premise also leaves room for several different approaches, although the filmmakers have shared relatively little about its execution.
We’re interested in learning how Skarsgård, Schafer, Hawke and Melling fit into the story involving the condemned nuns, the missing captain and his poet wife. For now, their specific characters remain unconfirmed, as does the film’s release schedule. What Variety has established is that the four actors will star, Maddin and the Johnson brothers will direct, and Aster’s Square Peg will produce. Further casting details and production announcements will provide a clearer idea of what audiences can expect.
Source: Variety
