John Waters to return with first film in almost 20 years

Pink Flamingos
(Image credit: New Line Cinema)

Transgressive cult filmmaker and cinematic legend John Waters is back behind the director's chair for the first time in nearly twenty years.

Waters is set to adapt his novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance for the big screen under the Village Road Pictures umbrella. The project marks Waters' first film since 2004's A Dirty Shame, a satirical comedy that saw an uptight, middle-aged woman (Tracey Ullman) become a sex addict after getting hit on the head.

"'Liarmouth’ is the craziest thing I’ve written in a while so maybe it’s fitting that my novel was shocking enough to jumpstart the engine of my film career," Waters said in a statement. "Thrilled to be back in the movie business, hopefully to spread demented joy to adventuresome moviegoers around the world."

Liarmouth follows the story of Marsha Sprinkle, a suitcase thief, scammer, and master of disguise. Per the novel's synopsis, "Dogs and children hate her. Her own family wants her dead. She’s smart, she’s desperate, she’s disturbed, and she’s on the run with a big chip on her shoulder. They call her Liarmouth – until one insane man makes her tell the truth."

The 76-year-old filmmaker is perhaps best known for the widely banned NC-17 abject art film Pink Flamingos, the dark comedy Female Trouble, the Kathleen Turner-led Serial Mom, and Hairspray – which would go on to become a successful Broadway musical. Waters is often credited with inventing the concept of 'camp.'

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Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.