Malignant - What We Know So Far
The upcoming horror film "Malignant," which is helmed by "Saw" co-creator James Wan, has gone through some challenges ever since it was first announced as an "untitled horror film" by Deadline in June 2019. Thankfully, the film's fall 2019 shoot in Los Angeles was unaffected by the imminent COVID-19 pandemic, but everything got a little more complicated for the film once 2020 arrived.
"Malignant," which was intended to be a small project for Wan between shooting "Aquaman" and "Aquaman 2," was first slated to arrive in theatres on August 14, 2020, Deadline reports. Of course, the pandemic made that date unrealistic, and the studio postponed the release indefinitely. Fans of horror films, James Wan, and movie theaters have been in limbo ever since.
However, as moviegoers across the United States begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and theaters start to reopen, studios have started to give out some information about when viewers they can finally see their most anticipated films on the big screen. Here is everything we know about the release date, cast, and plot of "Malignant."
When will Malignant be released?
After over a year of delays, "Malignant" is due to land on both HBO Max and in theaters on September 10, 2021, according to Deadline.
The film will arrive both in traditional theatres and on the streaming service as a part of Warner Brothers' extended experiment with simultaneous releases for its entire 2021 lineup, via Variety. The production company debuted this model when it released "Wonder Woman 1984" to a wide audience on HBO Max while also giving the film a theatrical release in select markets.
Like "Wonder Woman 1984," "Malignant" will only be available to HBO Max subscribers for one month, at which point it will only be available to see in theatres until it reenters the streaming and home entertainment markets at a later date. As such, viewers who would prefer to see the film at home should make sure they have access to HBO Max in September. Otherwise, they will need to plan on catching the movie in theatres.
Who is in the cast of Malignant?
Since "Malignant" was filmed back in 2019, there's a pretty reliable list of actors and actresses who will be appearing in the film. Unfortunately, due to the lack of specifics about the storyline and characters explored in "Malignant," it is difficult to say just who is playing what role.
One of the first actresses whose involvement with the film was confirmed was Annabelle Wallis, via Variety. Wallis had worked with Wan before on "Annabelle," a spin-off film set in "The Conjuring" universe. As one of the top-billed stars in the film, Wallis may have a central role in "Malignant." After Wallis was confirmed to star in the movie, Deadline confirmed that Jake Abel would also appear in the film, as would George Young.
As the planned fall 2019 filming date neared, Michole Briana White, Jacqueline McKenzie, Maddie Hasson, and McKenna Grace were all added to round out what is believed to be more or less the full roster for primary cast members, per Deadline.
What is the plot of Malignant?
Despite the lengthy delays that "Malignant" endured, both the filmmakers and the actors involved in the project have done an excellent job of keeping the movie's overall plot under wraps. However, fans can gather some clues from sources like the film's official trailer and social media images.
In that trailer, viewers see various ominous scenes, such as a room where the furniture hangs suspended in the air, a closet full of mannequins with someone hiding in the back, and a cabin deep in some uninviting woods. Unfortunately, as atmospheric as these settings are, they offer little in the way of hints regarding what might occur in "Malignant."
However, one shot does show a frightening figure emerging from behind Annabelle Wallis, which may imply that she is being pursued by it. In addition, Wan shared an image on Instagram, of a gloved hand clutching a dagger, when he announced the September 10 release date, which may be another clue as to the evil that Wallis faces in the film. Lastly, Collider noted that the film received an R-Rating due to "Strong horror violence, gruesome images, and for language."
While those are broad categorizations, taking these three items together could indicate a sort of slasher vibe. Of course, no matter how fans look at it, there are more questions than answers, such as whether the film is somehow related to the universe that "The Conjuring" occurs in. Moviegoers will simply have to wait until the film arrives in the fall to find out for sure.