Cameras Roll on Brady Corbet’s ‘X-Rated’ Movie Starring Selena Gomez and Michael Fassbender
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Post By
DJ Longers
- September 8, 2026
Cameras Roll on Brady Corbet’s ‘X-Rated’ Movie Starring Selena Gomez and Michael Fassbender
LOS ANGELES — Brady Corbet’s highly anticipated, self-described "X-rated" historical epic formerly titled The Origin of the World (according to Comingsoon.net), has made a major leap forward, officially entering principal photography.
The ambitious feature, which boasts an A-list ensemble led by Selena Gomez, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, and Joe Alwyn has officially begun production under the working title Salt Flats. Filming is currently underway in South Africa for a planned 50-day shoot.
The milestone represents a massive move for the project, which generated widespread headlines earlier this year when details first surfaced regarding its explicit content, gargantuan scale, and four-hour target runtime.
A Four-Hour Mystical Western
Following the critical triumph and multi-Oscar-nominated run of his 2024 period drama The Brutalist, director Brady Corbet has crafted what industry insiders describe as his most genre-defying work to date.
Co-written with his long-time collaborator Mona Fastvold, the massive 200-page screenplay spans roughly 150 years. While primarily anchored in 1970s Northern California, the narrative explores the region's agricultural economy, Chinese immigration history, American mysticism, and the occult. Corbet reportedly consulted closely with occult historian Mitch Horowitz during the script's development.
Technically, the production is pushing traditional cinematic boundaries. Cinematographer Lol Crawley is capturing the sprawling narrative on rare 8-perf 65mm using specialized Iwerks cameras alongside 35mm and 16mm film stock.
"It’s a really, really genre-defying project with a much looser style than my prior films," Corbet previously noted of the script during a festival appearance, teasing its unapologetic approach to adult themes.
A Bold Pivot for Selena Gomez
For 34-year-old Selena Gomez, joining Corbet’s vision marks another decisive shift toward uncompromising auteur cinema.
Coming off her Cannes Best Actress ensemble win for Jacques Audiard’s musical crime drama Emilia Pérez, Gomez continues to diversify her portfolio beyond hit television series Only Murders in the Building. Taking on a lead role in an explicitly adult, four-hour arthouse Western cements her commitment to prestige filmmaking alongside seasoned heavyweights Fassbender and Blanchett.
Production Profile — 'Salt Flats']
| Production Feature | Official / Reported Details |
| Working Title | Salt Flats |
| Director & Co-Writer | Brady Corbet (with Mona Fastvold) |
| Key Cast | Selena Gomez, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Joe Alwyn, Sadie Soverall |
| Format & Scope | Shot on 8-perf 65mm / 200-page script (~4-hour runtime) |
| Production Status | Principal Photography Underway (South Africa) |
| Thematic Focus | 1970s Northern California, American Mysticism, Occult History |
Road to the Festival Circuit
With cameras officially rolling, international distributors and festival programmers are already tracking this production as a potential heavyweight contender for the late 2027 film festival calendar.
As Corbet and his cast embark on their multi-month shoot, cinema purists will be watching closely to see how this ambitious, NC-17-adjacent epic takes shape on 65mm film.
