From Jane Schoenbrun, the writer and director of the indie sensationWe’re All Going to the World’s Fair, comesI Saw the TV Glow.Thisnew, spooky horror thrilleris produced by none other than A24, the iconoclastic studio with a cult following that rejuvenated the horror genre with movies likeThe WitchandMidsommar.
I Saw the TV Glowis Schoenbrun’s second directed feature film —World’s Fairbeing their debut — and there is much to look forward to. With its intriguing and original plot and"wild and queer"cast, which includes hip, young actors as well as musicians such as Phoebe Bridgers,I Saw the TV Glowis bound to be a success with A24’s young millennial demographic. While we wait for a release date, here’s everything there is to know about it so far.
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The Plot
Deadlineannounced the upcoming Jane Schoenbrun movie back in October 2021, providing a synopsis for the horror thriller that reads: “[I Saw the TV Glow] follows two teenage outcasts (played by Brigette Lundy-Paine and Justice Smith) who bond over their shared love of a scary television show, but the boundary between TV and reality begins to blur after it is mysteriously canceled.”
No other information has yet been released about the plot, which bears some similarities to Schoenbrun’s first feature,We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. A coming-of-age horror drama,World’s Fairalso features a teenage protagonist (played wonderfully by Anna Cobb) who struggles to separate fiction from reality after taking part in an online role-playing horror game. Among other things,World’s Fairindirectly explores gender dysphoria through Cobb’s Casey. It appearsI Saw the TV Glowwill build on this theme, taking into account its non-binary director,queer leads, and “boundary blurring” plot.
The Cast
Brigette Lundy-Paine and Justice Smith star as the leads inI Saw the TV Glow, playing the aforementioned teenage outcast friends. Lundy-Paine is a nonbinary actor who came to prominence playing Casey, the younger bisexual sister of Keir Gilchrist’s protagonist, in all four seasons of the Netflix comedy-drama seriesAtypical. Lundy-Paine received strong praise for this role, which tracks Casey’s queer journey, and even credits it for helping themself to come out. The actor, who is also part of a band named Subtle Pride, has since starred in Jay Roach’sBombshell, playing the role of Julia Clarke, and Dean Parisot’sBill & Ted Face the Music, playing Ted’s (Keanu Reeves) daughter Billie Logan. In 2018, she also starred in the Johnny Knoxville featureAction Point.
Justice Smithhad his acting breakthrough in 2016 playing Ezekiel Figuero in the Netflix dramaThe Get Down. Before that, he starred in Jake Schreier’s adaptation of John Green’sPaper Towns, playing Marcus “Radar” Lincoln, sidekick to Natt Wolff’s Quentin Jacobsen. Since then, he can be seen in J. A. Bayona’sJurassic World: Fallen Kingdomand Brett Haley’sAll the Bright Places. Justice Smith also identifies as queer, and recently (2021) played the lead role of out and proud high schooler Chester in the HBO seriesGeneration.
Joining Lundy-Paine and Smith in the ensemble cast forI Saw the TV Gloware several other talented actors, including:
The film will also feature the following muscians:
The Crew
Jane Schoenbrun wrote and directedI Saw the TV Glow. A24 will produce the film, alongside Sam Intili, Fruit Tree’sEmma Stone, Dave McCary, and Ali Herting; and Smudge Films' Sarah Winshall, who previously worked with Schoenbrun onWorld’s Fair. A24 will also finance and distribute the film, which has cinematography from Eric Yue (The Giant).
I Saw the TV Glowhas a much bigger budget thanWorld’s Fair, which may be reflected in the film’s cinematography. At the very least, viewers can expect monsters and impressive crane shots afforded by the bigger budget, as Schoenbrun toldHorror Cult Filmsas much. Music was a selling point forWorld’s Fair, which was scored by indie wunderkind Alex G, and it looks like viewers can expect another great soundtrack fromI Saw the TV Glow, given all the incredible musicians involved.
A24 themselves have been branching out into music lately, releasing the new Charli XCX song “Hot Girl” (as featured inBodies Bodies Bodies) under their new music imprint. The sky is the limit with this studio, making for a perfect partnership with such a boundary-breaking director like Schoenbrun.
I Saw the TV Glowis in post-production and has no release date yet.
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