EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesBoy Kills WorldDirector of It star Bill Skarsgård’s new action movie says anime was a big influence: “I read a lot of manga"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesAction MoviesBoy Kills WorldDirector of It star Bill Skarsgård’s new action movie says anime was a big influence: “I read a lot of manga"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
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(Image credit: Signature Entertainment)

Bill Skarsgård is switching horror for action in the new film Boy Kills World, and the director says they drew on some intriguing influences.
“We talked a lot about what we loved,” director Moritz Mohr tellsTotal Film in our new issueout on Thursday March 28, which featuresThe Fall Guy on the cover. “I love old kung-fu movies. I love Asian cinema. I play a lot of video games and I read a lot of manga. Anime is a big influence. But also shitty little Saturday-morning cartoons that I loved growing up. I knew I wanted to make a revenge movie with a deaf protagonist, but that was literally the one constant.”
We’ve also got an exclusive look at the new film, which you can see in full below, featuring Skarsgård’s Boy in action. Speaking about casting him, director Mohr adds that he was originally looking for someone younger, before turning his attention to the Pennywise star. “He’s almost two meters tall, and that’s not very boyish,” laughs Mohr. “But at the same time, he’s literally perfect for this. He has this childlike innocence. And he can fight.”
(Image credit: Signature Entertainment/Total Film)

Boy Kills World will be released on April 26, 2024. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, March 28.
Check out the covers below:
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Pre-order the issue hereto bag your copy, orclick here to subscribe to Total Filmand never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it’s in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers.
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