LOS ANGELES—Today, after a countdown that began back in June when he first announced the project, director Axel Braun has revealed a trailer for his new Wicked Pictures movie, The Possession of Mrs. Hyde. And it is a big reveal indeed: a showcase of striking black-and-white cinematography that leaves the viewer wanting more.
Braun and his Wicked team note that the past five years have seen an unprecedented resurgence in black-and-white movies, citing James Mangold's Logan [Noir], George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road [Blood & Chrome Edition], as Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing and Alexander Payne's Nebraska. In spite of this trend, making movies in black and white is still perceived as a commercial risk, but it is a Wicked Pictures and Braun were willing to take, and the results can now be seen.
For his first non-parody feature film in 15 years, Braun is offering a widescreen psychological thriller steeped in the monochromatic beauty of classic film noir. Starring Avi Love, Seth Gamble, Reagan Foxx and celebrated adult actor Tom Byron, The Possession of Mrs. Hyde debuts today on VOD. The trailer can be found here.
With a Hitchcockian screenplay written in collaboration with his late father, Golden Age adult pioneer Lasse Braun (Sensations, American Desire), and his 26-year-old son, filmmaker Rikki Braun (Exposed, Super Naturals), Axel's long-planned passion project has literally been 30 years in the making. (Read more about the Braun family here.)
Braun kept the movie's visual aesthetic a closely guarded secret from not only his cast, but virtually his entire crew other than cinematographer Hank Hoffman. “Making this movie was definitely an experience shrouded in secrecy,” he said. “Hank and I were so excited about shooting in black and white CinemaScope 2.35:1 that it was really difficult not to tell everybody, but I wanted it to be a surprise so we just basically looked at each other and giggled after every shot."
Braun stated that his goal was to go back to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and expand its narrative, while staying true to the characters in a way that the movies never did. To do justice to Stevenson's original vision, two different actors portray Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with adult legend Tom Byron coming out of retirement to play Jekyll, and Braun favorite Seth Gamble nabbing the high-profile role of Mr. Hyde. The two of them famously played Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars XXX, for which Byron received a Best Supporting Actor AVN Award. Gamble has been in some of Braun's most successful movies, including 24 XXX, Cinderella XXX and Suicide Squad XXX. He is also the lead in Deadpool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, released earlier this year.
The director credits Gamble with completely transforming himself to give a carefully shaded, deeply nuanced performance as Hyde.
“Seth grew a mustache for the role, and he literally looked like a completely different person,” said Braun. “It’s a seemingly small detail, but it was an important part of his process, and the result is quite mind-blowing. He literally became Hyde. I really cannot praise him enough—to me he simply is the best actor in the industry right now, and I’m pretty sure after seeing him as Hyde and Deadpool most people will agree with me. He has presence, charisma, depth, range, and most of all he has heart. This was such a special project for me, and he not only understood and respected it, he actually made it special for himself, too. Seeing somebody care so much about a role was absolutely inspiring.”
“I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason,” said Gamble. “We were doing one of the many costume fittings for Deadpool XXX and I was sitting on a chair in deep thought for a minute, and Axel looked at me and something went off in his head. He walked up to me and he told me, ‘You know what? I just saw it, I saw Hyde in you,’ and he offered me the role right there. How crazy is it that he started writing the script in 1988, the year I was born? And of course as I read it I realized that it was more than just a good vs. evil theme, it's actually a pretty deep psychological study, and it was interesting to see the parallels with my personal experiences. I felt an incredible connection with this project. I can’t really explain it, but Axel told me that his father, Lasse, loved me as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars XXX, and Rikki is a buddy of mine, so I really felt as I was somehow destined to be a part of this. I went all in and rigorously practiced my role for weeks, peeling the layers of this character’s personality like an onion, and I am forever grateful that I was given the opportunity to bring this role to life."
For his female lead, Braun cast 2018 AVN Hottest Newcomer nominee Avi Love as Valerie, the daughter of Dr. Jekyll’s housemaid, who in Braun’s script ends up marrying Mr. Hyde.
“I honestly have not seen a female performance this strong in my 29 years as a director,” enthuses Braun. “Avi was beyond amazing, I actually find myself at a loss for superlatives when trying to describe her. She set a whole new bar for adult actresses.”
“Axel is truly a spectacular director,” said Love. “He has so much passion for his work, and it was a remarkable experience being directed by him. Thank you, Axel, I’m going to remember this project forever … you are not only a gifted filmmaker but also an amazing person!"
The strong ensemble cast also features Reagan Foxx as Mary Reilly, along with Kenna James, Victoria Voxxx, Wicked Girl jessica drake in the first non-sex role of her career and an explosive turn from Charlotte Stokely, the 2018 XRCO Best Lesbian Performer.
"They say love is just evil spelled backwards,” said Stokely with a wicked smile. “Let's just say this is a very backwards girl-girl scene, unlike anything I’ve ever done. It’s sexy, twisted and terrifying, but you won’t wanna look away. Axel had a very specific vision, and part of it was to allow me to unleash the beast within, which I gladly did. I literally can’t wait to see this movie!"
With 2018 already seeing the release of Deadpool XXX: An Axel Braun Parody and a dozen high-end all-sex movies, the release of The Possession of Mrs. Hyde is the culmination of a year that has seen the director continuing to refine his craft. Team Wicked believes this is his most ambitious year yet—a considerable claim given his past accomplishments. The reigning AVN Best Director - Feature winner has taken home AVN’s Director of the Year award four consecutive times, Movie of the Year three consecutive times, and Best Parody eight consecutive times.
"We are very proud to have been the studio behind Axel’s hits for the past five years," Wicked Pictures president and owner Steve Orenstein observed. "We're thrilled to be working with him on such a unique and personal project, and can’t wait to see what new ground he will break by introducing Mrs. Hyde to adult fans worldwide.”
The SFW teaser trailer for The Possession of Mrs. Hyde is now live at https://youtu.be/gdjdM42aP9I
To learn more, visit www.wicked.com and www.wickedb2b.com.
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