Travis Scott has had a strange week. First, the rapper and native Houstonian cryptically proclaimed the “end of an era” for Astroworld, his short-lived music festival that was the site of a crowd crush that ki!!ed ten people in November 2021.
Then, on Wednesday, his big show at the Pyramids of Giza outside of Cairo, Egypt, was abruptly canceled, citing “complex production issues.” The event, scheduled for Friday evening, was intended to commemorate the release of his new album Utopia, also due out on Friday.
Now, despite being included on a poster for Scott’s upcoming picture, Circus Maximus, that Scott tweeted out on Tuesday, film production company A24, known for films like 2022 Oscar winners The Whale and Everything Everywhere All At Once, is disavowing any involvement in the project.
Little else is known about the picture, which will be released in AMC Theatres only on July 27. Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding-Refn, Harmony Korine, Valdimar Jóhannsson, and Kahlil Joseph are all mentioned as co-directors for the film, reportedly including new music from Utopia.
The 75-minute film is described on AMC’s website as “a surreal and psychedelic journey, uniting a collective of visionary filmmakers from around the world in a kaleidoscopic exploration of human experience and the power of soundscapes.”
However, according to many publications, including Variety and Pitchfork, A24 officials have stated that the production company is not participating in Scott’s film.
CIRCUS MAXIMUS JULY 27th pic.twitter.com/KJWBVYebh5
— TRAVIS SCOTT (@trvisXX) July 25, 2023
Prior to the Astroworld tragedy in 2021, it was claimed that Scott had signed an exclusive deal with A24 to make a series of films, including one related to the release of Utopia, which Scott previewed in an Instagram post. Travis previously appeared in Look Mom I Can Fly, a Netflix feature-length documentary about his life while creating the Astroworld album, which was published in 2018.
The picture Stage reported on July 10 that a Korine-directed picture starring Scott and shot entirely in infrared was exhibited in a secret, members-only screening at the New York theater Metrograph. Meanwhile, another Harmony Korine film starring Scott, Aggro Dr1ft, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival this weekend.
It’s unclear whether the film that screened at Metrograph was Aggro Dr1ft or Circus Maximus, but HipHopDX reported the next day that the secret A24-Scott movie was “in serious limbo” because the rapper refused to sign off on it.
It was only two weeks ago. Circus Maximus is now ready to make its Houston debut in several theaters. It remains to be seen whether the economy will boom or fail.
Regarding the Giza concert, it has been reported that Egypt’s Musicians’ Syndicate, which authorizes public performances in the predominantly Muslim country, refused to permit Scott’s production, claiming that the rapper’s music “goes against the cultural identity of the Egyptian people.” The corporation organizing the Giza concert, Live Nation, was also behind the disastrous 2021 Astroworld extravaganza.
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For almost 4 years, Jason Martin has been a freelance writer for newspapers, journals, blogs, books, and online material. He covers the most recent news as well as many other topics.