There are many reasons to be intrigued about A24’s upcoming black comedy, “Death Of A Unicorn.” First off, you have the cast, Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) playing a father and daughter pair, plus Richard E. Grant, Téa Leoni, and Will Poulter. Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes, and Steve Park. Then there’s a producorial patina of good taste around it: “Death Of A Unicorn” is produced by Ari Aster (“Beau Is Afraid,” “Midsommar”) with music composed by the legendary filmmaker/musician John Carpenter.
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The directorial debut of Alex Scharfman, who also wrote the film, a movie producer known for “Resurrection,” “Blow The Man Down” and “House Of Spoils,” the film has a unique premise that builds upon the fantastical and modern capitalist ideas of exploitation and opportunism.
The film centers on a father and his teenage daughter who accidentally kill a unicorn with their car on the way to a crisis management retreat. His boss, a wealthy billionaire and his family seize upon the moment, and their scientists discover that dead creatures’ flesh, blood, and horn are endowed with supernaturally curative properties from which they could quickly make another fortune.
But obviously, karma and comeuppance arrive like a magnet for unethical people like this, and during their research, they discover deadly consequences from their actions.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
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A24, the film’s distributors, do not have a firm release date yet but are promising a spring 2025 release. One wonders if that means a SXSW premiere a few short weeks before its theatrical debut, but time will tell soon enough. “Death Of A Unicorn” looks intriguing, so take a look yourself with the new trailer below.