Selena Gomez Signs On for 4-Hour X-Rated Epic from an Oscar Winner

Well, here's a headline I genuinely did not expect to type this week: Selena Gomez—yes, that Selena Gomez—is taking the lead in a four-hour, X-rated feature from one of this year's major Oscar winners. No, you didn't misread that. Buckle up, because this project could not be more of a curveball.

So What's Going On Here?

This upcoming movie comes from Brady Corbet, the director behind The Brutalist, which raked in quite a bit of Oscar attention in 2024. Corbet, for whatever reason, has decided to go big or go home for his next project. The film is reportedly called The Origin of the World, though nobody's confirmed that title officially, so take it with a grain of salt.

Here are the facts that have slipped out so far—which, honestly, just create more questions than answers:

• The film will star Selena Gomez (no typo there)
• It's going to be X-rated—sounds like that's not just rumor, but straight from the director himself
• The runtime is reportedly a whopping four hours (yes, 240 minutes…)
• The story stretches over 150 years, from the 1800s all the way to the present—but most of the action takes place in the 1970s
• The plot has something to do with the economy of Northern California, at least according to Corbet
• The entire movie will be shot on 70mm film, so get ready for something visually ambitious

The Rumors and the Reality

Since this thing was announced, wild speculation has been swirling. Let's clear up a big one right away: despite some reports, the film absolutely does not have anything to do with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Corbet set the record straight himself:

'All I can say about the new film is that there’s been a lot of misinformation. It’s true that the film is an X-rated movie, and it’s true that it takes place mostly in the 1970s, but the film spans from the 19th century into the present day — it’s just predominantly focused on the ’70s. The film is really, really genre-defying. But it was reported that the movie has something to do with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which is not true at all. That is just inaccurate. I think that the reason that was misconstrued is that I was talking about making a film that’s set in the 1970s. It will owe a debt to films of the period, but it’s not a slasher film. I’d love to make one, one day, but this one’s not.'

What Does This Mean for Selena Gomez?

Just in case you haven't been following her career arc: Gomez was most recently in the buzzy 2024 musical drama Emilia Pérez, and of course has been co-headlining Hulu's Only Murders in the Building since 2021. So, yeah—her signing on to a 4-hour X-rated, possibly genre-bending epic shot entirely in 70mm is, to put it mildly, a major pivot.

Final Thoughts

Usually, when you hear about a massive mystery project starring A-listers and Oscar darlings, it turns out to be something at least kind of conventional. This? Not so much. An X-rated, multi-century epic focused on Northern California economics—starring Selena Gomez, of all people—is certifiably out there. If Corbet can actually get this made, it’ll be one of the strangest and most ambitious swings we've seen from major Hollywood talent in a long time. I'll keep you posted as more details trickle out—at this rate, anything is possible.