If you love the cultier end of the sci-fi/horror spectrum, chances are that Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are on your radar. The creative partnership is responsible for some of the most fascinating, engrossing and thought-provoking indie films of recent years, like the interlinked Resolution and The Endless, sun-kissed monster-romance Spring, and time-tripping-balls odyssey Synchronic. While they’re currently working with Marvel (they directed episodes of Moon Knight, and are shepherding Loki Season 2), last year they unveiled lockdown-shot two-hander Something In The Dirt, one of the clearest distillations of their unique filmmaking voice – and they’re not done with creating original projects.
In fact, as they tell the Script Apart podcast, away from their Marvel work, the duo are beavering away on several of their own projects – one of which is a series not only set in the same continuity as The Endless (aka the ‘Shitty Carl Cinematic Universe’), but focusing once again on the characters of Aaron and Justin (played, obviously, by Aaron and Justin themselves).
“Even now, nights and weekends are spent working on what is our next thing for that [independent output],” says Benson. “Which is essentially, what is hopefully a TV show – at smallest another indie film – in the Endless universe. That’s where we put all of our passion.” Moorhead adds: “The main characters are Aaron and Justin again. But that’s about as far as we can probably go right now. What I can say, I am stunned by how good it is. It is Justin’s best work by far, and it’s just so, so incredibly fun to work on. I wish I could get into the plot more – I don’t know if we’re ready or not. But it very easily could be the thing that, if we die right after it’s finished, it’s like, ‘Ok! Cool, I did it. That was the one to go out on.’ It’s very cool.”
While Spring, Something In The Dirt, and Synchronic all technically take place in the world of The Endless and Resolution, it’s fascinating to hear the duo are pursuing a project more specifically in that continuity – and that it might end up being a series. What, exactly, are brothers Justin and Aaron up to after – The Endless SPOILER WARNING – managing to escape from the alien death cult? Have they encountered more freaky time-loops? And will we see more of Shitty Carl himself? Stay tuned. In the meantime, we’ll see what Benson and Moorhead have cooked up with the return of Loki – expected to hit our screens later this year. And check out the full interview with the pair – talking the creation of Something In The Dirt, and their other mind-bending movies – on Script Apart, available now.