Before he takes the lead in the upcoming reboot of The Crow, Bill Skarsgård will dispatch a lot of enemies in the upcoming post-apocalyptic martial arts actioner, Boy Kills World.
The movie had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival during "Midnight Madness," and is set to arrive in theaters for a limited run later this month. Now, Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate has released a hyper-violent new red band trailer, and it does not hold back on the bloody, brutal carnage.
The IT actor plays the titular "Boy," who embarks on a mission of vengeance after losing his family to a corrupt dynasty led by Famke Janssen's deranged Hilda Van Der Koy. Boy is deaf and mute, but the story is narrated by a voice in his head, which is based on our protagonist's favourite video game character.
The previous teasers have highlighted some pretty extreme action, but this latest trailer is balls to the wall crazy, with blood, bullets, and brains flying freely. It's easy to see what Boy Kills World has been described as an "R-rated Looney Tunes on acid."
As much fun as this looks, reviews have been somewhat mixed so far, with 15 verdicts coming out of TIFF resulting in a so-so 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Check out the new trailer below along with some character posters.
"Bill Skarsgård stars as "Boy," who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left him orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister."
Boy Kills World is directed by German indie filmmaker Moritz Mohr, making his feature directorial debut after a few other shorts (and the series Viva Berlin!). The screenplay is by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers, from a screen story by Arend Remmers & Moritz Mohr; adapted from the short film of the same name by Remmers & Mohr.
Boy Kills World also stars Jessica Rothe, Yayan Ruhian, Andrew Koji, Isaiah Mustafa, Brett Gelman, and Sharlto Copley, with H. Jon Benjamin as the voice in Boy's head. The movie is set to hit theaters starting April 26th, 2024.