CANARY ISLANDS — Production has officially begun on the highly anticipated 1980s-set vampire thriller Flesh of the Gods, starring Kristen Stewart and Wagner Moura.
The film, which marks the latest genre-bending project from visionary director Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), is currently shooting in the Canary Islands, Spain, before moving to Cologne, Germany, for the second half of its schedule.
Expanding the “Nighttime Realm”
As cameras started rolling on May 12, 2026, A24 and XYZ Films announced several major additions to the cast, rounding out the surreal world Cosmatos has envisioned:
- Esmé Creed-Miles: Best known for her titular role in Amazon’s Hanna.
- Roland Møller: The Danish powerhouse seen in Land of Mine and Citadel.
- Alba Baptista: The breakout star of Warrior Nun and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
They join Stewart and Moura, who play Alex and Raoul, a glamorous married couple in 1980s Los Angeles. The plot follows the pair as they descend from their luxury skyscraper condo each evening into a “glittering heart of hell”—an electric nighttime realm of hedonism, thrills, and violence after crossing paths with a mysterious figure known only as Nameless.
A “Se7en” Reunion of Sorts
Behind the scenes, the project boasts a creative pedigree that has genre fans buzzing. The script was written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the legendary screenwriter behind the 1995 masterpiece Se7en.
Walker developed the story alongside Cosmatos, promising a film that inhabits the “liminal realm between fantasy and nightmare.” Given Cosmatos’ track record with Mandy, which revitalized the “neon-drenched nightmare” aesthetic, expectations are high for a visually striking “hot rod joy ride.”
The Road to Production
The journey to the first “action” call has been a long one for the project:
- May 2024: Project first announced with Oscar Isaac and Kristen Stewart.
- May 2025: Elizabeth Olsen reportedly joins the cast (though her current status remains unconfirmed in the latest production updates).
- April 2026: Oscar Isaac exits due to a scheduling conflict; Wagner Moura (fresh off an Oscar-nominated turn in The Secret Agent) is cast as the new lead. A24 officially picks up U.S. domestic rights.
- May 12, 2026: Principal photography begins.
For Kristen Stewart, Flesh of the Gods represents a high-profile return to the vampire genre nearly 15 years after the conclusion of the Twilight Saga. However, early descriptions suggest Alex and Raoul’s world is a far cry from Forks, Washington, leaning instead into the “psychedelic dread” and “heavy-metal imagery” that has become Cosmatos’ signature.
With a script from the man who wrote Se7en and a director who turned a chainsaw fight into high art, Flesh of the Gods is positioning itself as one of the most provocative titles on A24’s upcoming slate.
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