LOS ANGELES — A24 has picked up filmmaker Sean Baker's next film "Red Rocket," described as "a comedic drama about a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown."
Baker is known for "The Florida Project," which earned an Oscar nomination for Willem Dafoe, and acclaimed indie drama "Tangerine," which was filmed entirely with three iPhone 5S smartphones.
"Red Rocket" stars Simon Rex in the leading role; in the early '90s, under the name "Sebastian," Rex shot two solo masturbation scenes and posed nude for Brad Posey's boutique studio Club 1821 several years before the performer shot to mainstream fame as an MTV VJ, model, actor and comedian-rapper.
The scant Club 1821 footage was repackaged continually for more than a decade; Rex himself eventually learned to poke fun at the experience. ("I guess that's why I became a dirty rapper and fuckin' comedic actor," he told an interviewer in 2014. "Because after you do that, you're fearless... I got no skeletons in my closet now.")
"Red Rocket" was filmed over the past year and is currently in post-production.
“Sean is making another bold, original film and I am thrilled that it found a home in the U.S. with A24,” Glen Basner, CEO of FilmNation Entertainment, which retains global distro rights, told Variety.
In related news, A24 recently acquired the U.S. rights to "Pleasure," a drama set in the adult film industry from director Ninja Thyberg that follows a starlet named Bella Cherry (played Sofia Kappel) who moves to Los Angeles from small-town Sweden.
The cast of "Pleasure" includes Chris Cock, Dana DeArmond, Evelyn Claire, Lance Hart, Kendra Spade and agent Mark Spiegler, among other real-life adult biz notables.
Images: Sean Baker (left), Variety; Simon Rex (right), AP/Michael Buckner