Benedict Wong is bringing his signature gravitas to A24’s latest gothic experiment. The British actor, known for his dynamic performances in Weapons and 3 Body Problem, has joined The Masque of the Red Death — a darkly comedic, revisionist adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic 1842 short story.
Directed by Charlie Polinger, the project also stars Passages’ Franz Rogowski, Léa Seydoux, and Mikey Madison.
While character details are firmly under wraps, the casting itself signals a fresh, genre-blending take on Poe’s chilling tale of privilege and plague. The original story follows Prince Prospero, a wealthy noble who barricades himself and his court inside an opulent abbey to wait out a deadly disease sweeping the land.
The group distracts themselves with decadent masquerade balls — until an eerie, uninvited guest disrupts their illusion of safety.
Poe’s allegorical vision of escapism, mortality, and moral decay feels eerily contemporary, especially in the hands of A24 — a studio known for mixing arthouse sensibilities with sharp social commentary. Polinger’s “wildly revisionist” approach hints at a satire that might speak less to the 19th century’s gothic dread and more to the anxieties of modern affluence and denial.
For Wong, whose recent slate includes the diaspora-themed horror Rock Springs and Ridley Scott’s upcoming The Dog Stars, this role marks another bold move into genre-defying territory.
Known for his grounded presence and deft emotional range, he has become one of the UK’s most quietly versatile actors — one who can shift seamlessly from blockbuster spectacle to intimate, unsettling horror.
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Produced by Julia Hammer and Erik Feig for Picturestart alongside James Presson and Lucy McKendrick, The Masque of the Red Death will be distributed globally by A24.
With Wong and Rogowski leading this unsettling dance between horror and humour, Poe’s ghost may never have felt more alive.
