Jeremy Saulnier’s mysterious A24 project, “October” — although that might not even be its title anymore — still has no release date. What gives? You’d think, given that it has been in post-production for almost a year now, that it would be released sometime in 2026.
A24 has been keeping quiet about the film, but I hear it was recently screened internally, and a decision should be coming shortly, if not by the end of this month.
What do we know about the film? Only that Cory Michael Smith will star in the lead role. It has been described as a “fugitive thriller set around Halloween.” Saulnier wrote the screenplay and is directing. A24 will finance and produce the project. That’s about all we know.
I can now confirm that the plot follows Smith’s character, the primary suspect in a mass murder investigation, after he escapes police custody. He goes on the run, attempting to prove his innocence while becoming the target of a massive manhunt.
Smith, a rising talent, is coming off Jesse Armstrong’s HBO film “Mountainhead,” in which he portrayed Ven Parish, the world’s richest man. He also stole the show with his portrayal of Chevy Chase in Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night.”
Saulnier’s film has been described as a tense, hard-hitting chase thriller with echoes of “The Fugitive,” while still carrying the rough, uncompromising style that defines his work. The script reportedly delivers the same kind of violent, rebellious energy that made “Green Room” such a gripping experience.
A new Saulnier film is music to my ears. His 2014 breakout “Blue Ruin” remains one of the great modern indie thrillers, while 2016’s “Green Room” — a brutal neo-Nazi siege film — felt like an experimental horror movie dressed in punk-rock clothing. I even enjoyed parts of “Hold the Dark,” which is often considered his weakest effort. It should also be mentioned that he’s coming off the immense streaming success of “Rebel Ridge,” which, unfortunately, skipped theaters and debuted on Netflix.
Saulnier’s films are violent, but he has a rare gift for staging brutality with unflinching precision — you feel every shot, every stab, and every impact. He remains one of the most distinctive voices working in genre cinema today. Perhaps this new film will find a place in TIFF’s Midnight Madness lineup?
We have more on-set images of Austin Butler as Crockett and Michael B. Jordan as Tubbs in Joseph Kosinski's "Miami Vice '85," which is currently filming in — where else — Miami.