PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   While Panos Cosmatos’ films clearly show his influences, they remain unique artistic creations, which might explain the challenges he faces in securing financing within today’s algorithm-driven industry. The director of Mandy typically sees his projects take time to develop before coming together rapidly, and this appears to be the case for his latest endeavor, a vampire film titled Flesh of the Gods.

Deadline reported this morning that, two years after its initial announcement, Flesh of the Gods is now moving forward. Filming has commenced in the sun-drenched Canary Islands, with production set to shift to Cologne, Germany in a few weeks for the latter half of the shoot. Despite being filmed in Europe, the movie is set in 1980s Los Angeles, which Cosmatos is expected to transform into a dazzling spectacle of neon and mirrors through his signature psychedelic style.

The film’s premise echoes elements of the 1983 film The Hunger (featuring David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as a seductive vampire couple) and the 2013 movie Only Lovers Left Alive (starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as a melancholic yet still alluring vampire pair), with a touch of Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool. The cast includes Wagner Moura and Kristen Stewart as Raoul and Alex, a captivating, thrill-seeking couple who may or may not be vampires.

The exact nature of their vampirism remains unclear, though Deadline’s description suggests they are nocturnal: “Raoul and Alex are a married couple in glittering ’80s L.A. who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm,” the publication states. “When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic Nameless and her hard-partying crew, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.”

This marks Stewart’s significant return to the vampire genre, as her last appearance in such a film was in The Twilight Saga, which concluded in 2012. However, this project represents a distinctly different take on the vampire narrative, aligning more closely with Stewart’s recent work in unconventional films like Love Lies Bleeding and Crimes of the Future. She also recently made her directorial debut with The Chronology of Water, which premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The supporting cast is also noteworthy. Wagner Moura recently received an Oscar nomination for his role in the acclaimed Brazilian arthouse film The Secret Agent and garnered significant attention on the awards circuit last year. Esmé Creed-Miles, who collaborated with Stewart on The Chronology of Water, will also be featured, alongside Norwegian actor Roland Møller (known for Citadel) and Portuguese actress Alba Baptista, who is widely recognized internationally for her lead role in Netflix’s Warrior Nun.

In an interesting development, the screenplay for Flesh of the Gods is penned by Andrew Kevin Walker, the writer behind S7ven, based on a story by Cosmatos. Walker also recently wrote Fincher’s Netflix assassin film The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender. A24 has already committed to distributing the film in the United States, making it highly probable that audiences will have the opportunity to see the movie sometime next year now that the project is underway.