Here's Ari Aster's upcoming movie Beau Is Afraid explained. In the space of a few years, Ari Aster has emerged as one of the most distinct voices in horror cinema. Aster started out making a series of intense, disturbing short films like Munchausen or the harrowing abuse drama The Strange Thing About The Johnsons. The director then made his feature directorial debut with 2018's Hereditary.
The movie blended family drama with supernatural horror and made for one of the most stressful and horrific genre movies of recent years. Hereditary was also praised for the lead performance of Toni Collette, with the movie eventually grossing over $80 million. Ari Aster soon returned with Midsommar, starring Florence Pugh. This sees a couple on the verge of splitting up going to a festival in Sweden, which - unbeknownst to them - involves some human sacrifice. The film was another sprawling, stressful nightmare with sprinklings of dark comedy.
Related: Hereditary Ending Explained
Ari Aster isn't keen to get typecast solely as a horror director, and announced his next movie would be the dark comedy Beau Is Afraid; here's what we know about it so far.
Beau If Afraid Is Based On A 2011 Short
Ari Aster himself has described Beau Is Afraid as a “four-hour nightmare comedy,” which is based on his 2011 short Beau. This six-minute film cast the late Billy Mayo (Criminal Minds) in the title role, who is an extremely anxious and paranoid man whose plans to visit his mother goes awry in strange ways. Beau itself gave an early look at Aster's talent for creating scenes of maximum cinematic stress.
Beau Is Afraid's Story
According to Discussing Film, Beau Is Afraid will be very much in line with the basic plot of the short. The story follows the title character as he learns of his mother's death under odd circumstances, and as he travels home he encounters various supernatural threats and learns a secret about his past, which might be tied into the father he never knew. By some accounts, the script is the wildest thing Aster has written to date - which is a bold statement
Joaquin Phoenix Might Play Beau
So far, the only casting linked to Beau Is Afraid is Joaquin Phoenix for the title part. Producers are said to be so eager for the actor to sign on they're waiting for him to be available before production begins. Ari Aster and Joaquin Phoenix sound like a perfect match, and given the latter is coming off of Joker's huge success, it would make sense the production is willing to wait.
Beau Is Afraid Doesn't Have A Release Date
Even if Joaquin Phoenix passes on the project it seems certain Beau Is Afraid will be Ari Aster's next movie. It doesn't currently have a release date set, however, so it could be at least a couple of years before the movie is ready.