John Waters doesn’t “have a penny of the budget” to make ‘Liarmouth’

Posted On May 28, 2024May 28, 2024

Director John Waters has provided a fresh update on the development of his upcoming movie, Liarmouth, which is still yet to receive funding to enter the production stage.

Waters has been absent from directing for two decades, with his most recent film, A Dirty Shame, arriving in 2004. However, he released his debut novel, Liarmouth, in 2022, which was later optioned by Village Roadshow Pictures to bring to the screen, and Hollywood star Aubrey Plaza is attached to the project, but there are still various hurdles that need to be jumped.

Earlier this year, it seemed Liarmouth was finally gearing up to enter production, and a report claimed it was set to film in Baltimore, Maryland, later this year, a location familiar to fans of Waters’ work.

While it’s true that Plaza is on-board for a Liarmouth movie, according to Waters, there remains a question mark hanging over whether the film will ever come to fruition due to funding being yet to be secured.

During a new interview with IndieWire, Waters shared: “I wrote the script, they liked it, Aubrey [Plaza] likes the script, wants to be in it, I want her to be in it, and every person said, ‘No, we don’t have a penny of the budget.’ That is where it is today. Hopefully that will change. But the answer as of today? That’s it.”

Waters is seemingly relaxed about the fate of his novel, which may or may not end up becoming a movie, he was initially exceptionally excited to turn it into a film. After Village Roadshow Pictures acquired the rights, the director said: “Liarmouth is the craziest thing I’ve written in a while, so maybe it’s fitting that my novel was shocking enough to jumpstart the engine of my film career.”

He also described himself as feeling “thrilled to be back in the movie business” and laid out his ambitious plans “to spread demented joy to adventuresome moviegoers around the world.”

Now, two years later, it doesn’t seem to be getting closer to becoming a reality, but fans of Waters will hope that changes in the near future.

Furthermore, the casting of Plaza didn’t happen in a traditional Hollywood way. The White Lotus star took things into her own hands when she heard an adaptation of Liarmouth was on the way, and begged the director to let her star in the production, which ultimately worked.

The actor explained during an interview with Dazed: “I emailed him immediately and said, ‘You better let me audition for you. I even look like the girl on the cover’ of the book. I’m throwing myself at his feet. I’ll do anything to get the part. I mean anything.”

While she successfully secured the part, the latest update on Liarmouth is a worrying sign, and it remains to be seen whether Plaza will get to chance to shine in her dream role.

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