Hold onto your popcorn, because indie film provocateur Gregg Araki is back with a bang—and it’s dripping with sex appeal! His latest project, the erotic thriller I Want Your Sex, is slated to premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, and it’s already shaping up to be the talk of the Croisette. Known for his wild, boundary-pushing style (The Doom Generation, Mysterious Skin), Araki’s return to the big screen after a decade-long hiatus is packing a cast so electric it could short-circuit the French Riviera.
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Leading the charge is Olivia Wilde, playing the seductive and dangerous Erika Tracy, a renowned artist with a taste for the taboo. She’s joined by Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), stepping into the role of Elliot, a naive young dreamer who lands a gig as Erika’s “sexual muse”—only to find himself spiraling into a twisted world of lust, power, and betrayal. Pop icon Charli XCX is also on board, making her second live-action film appearance in a mysterious role that’s got fans buzzing (she’s keeping it bratty and under wraps for now!). The ensemble heats up further with Scream hunk Mason Gooding, Jackass legend Johnny Knoxville, and Hamilton star Daveed Diggs, all ready to bring Araki’s signature chaos to life. Rounding out the crew are comedy maven Margaret Cho and Euphoria darling Chase Sui Wonders, promising a mix of laughs, shocks, and steamy scenes.
Araki, a darling of the New Queer Cinema movement, co-wrote the script with Karley Sciortino (Slutever), blending dark comedy with a provocative edge. The story follows Elliot’s descent from wide-eyed fantasy into a nightmarish journey of obsession and murder, all set against the glitzy backdrop of the art world. Filming kicked off in Los Angeles in October 2024, and Araki’s teased it’s got shades of the kinky 2002 indie hit Secretary—but with his own Gen Z twist. “Sex and sexuality are what make us human,” he’s said, hinting at a film that’ll poke at today’s supposedly sex-shy younger generation.
Black Bear is bankrolling the project and shopping it to international buyers, with CAA Media Finance handling U.S. rights. After wowing Cannes in 2010 with Kaboom (which snagged the first-ever Queer Palm), Araki’s return is a no-brainer for the festival’s May 13-24, 2025, run. Expect glitter, grit, and a whole lot of skin when I Want Your Sex hits the Palais des Festivals.
