Liarmouth: what we know about John Waters’ first film in 20 years

A whole 20 years after John Waters directed his last film, 2004’s satirical sex comedy A Dirty Shame, the Pope of Trash, AKA the Sultan of Sleaze, AKA the Prince of Puke is set to return to the silver screen.

Tentatively announced back in 2022, as an adaptation of Waters’ own novel from the same year, Liarmouth – described as a “feel-bad romance” – the film was scheduled to start shooting later this year, according to World of Reel. It also has its willing star, in Aubrey Plaza, who has been cast in the lead role two years after telling Dazed that she’d do “anything” for the part.

“I emailed him immediately,” said the White Lotus star at the time, discussing the Liarmouth adaptation. “[I] said, ‘You better let me audition for you. I even look like the girl on the cover.’ He told me I’m on his list, but I want to be top of the list. I want to be the only person on his list... I’m throwing myself at his feet.”

In case you didn’t get around to reading Waters’ “hilariously filthy tale of sex, crime, and family dysfunction” two years ago, Liarmouth follows the story of a compulsive liar named Marsha Sprinkle, who has split up with her partner and fellow scammer, Daryl, and stolen from her daughter and her mother. Sprinkle is “a suitcase thief, scammer, and master of disguise,” reads a description of the book. “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.”

Unfortunately, we might have to wait a bit longer than we originally expected to see this story play out on the big screen. Asked how the production is coming along in a recent (May 27) interview with IndieWire, Waters said that his previous comments have cause him “hell” due to false expectations that the film is just around the corner. The reality is, the filmmaker still needs to find the cash to bring his filthy dreams to life.

“[Village Roadshow] optioned the book, I wrote the script, Aubrey likes the script, wants to be in it, I want her to be in it, and every person said, ‘No, we don’t have a penny of the budget,’” he says. “That is where it is today. Hopefully that will change. But the answer as of today? That’s it.”

A release date for the Liarmouth adaptation is still TBC. In the meantime, though, you can revisit Dazed’s 2022 interview with Waters, on Liarmouth and how to stay transgressive decades on from films like Female Trouble and Pink Flamingos, here.