One of the more intriguing horror films cinema fans have to look forward to, Kevin Smith’s upcoming venture into surreal terror, Tusk, has already landed a home with A24 and Demarest Films, even though it isn’t even finished filming yet. The two companies, which have mostly handled indie flicks, are a really good place for this oddball movie, and will probably be distributing the film to anyone looking for the polar opposite to Smith’s insanely awful pay-for-hire gig Cop Out. Tusk may not ensnare may people outside of Smith’s core fan club, but I’m hoping it does, as Smith is one of the few filmmakers out there who can definitely upend any kind of a genre film with something unique and profanity-laden.
A24 is planning on releasing the film sometime in the third quarter of 2014, which means we’ll probably be able to go into Halloween mode with Justin Long in a walrus suit, and our dreams can be fully realized. Smith is really hoping to get the film finished by mid-January in time to make a premiere at Sundance, a film festival that has been quite kind to Smith in the past. But it remains to be seen if that can happen or not.
In Tusk, Long will play a podcaster who goes on the road to interview an old seafarer, played by the always awesome Michael Parks (Red State), who has something of an affection for walruses that guides him to make other men wear walrus costumes before killing them. (Or something.) Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) plays Long’s best friend who goes on the hunt once Long goes missing. It also stars Genesis Rodriguez (The Last Stand) and a mystery actor who will play the role of a detective investigating the mystery.
The detective was a role written for Quentin Tarentino, who turned the part down, and Smith is keen on making people wait to find out who stepped in. The movie is still technically unfinished because the scenes with this mystery actor will not be filmed until the end of this month or perhaps the beginning of January, making the Sundance run all the more complicated. But I bet Smith is quite happy to have achieved distribution already, as you can tell in his tween below.
And A24, which recently attained critical attention for releasing Spring Breakers and The Bling Ring, is equally as pleased.
I’m not the Smith fan I was in my teenage years, and really don’t feel the need to ever see Clerks III, but I cannot wait for the walrus-themed terror that Tusk will bring, though I assume just eating loads of raw fish isn’t proving that point in the correct way. Take a peek at the costume design in the image below.
