Filmmaker Gregg Araki has begun production on his next film, The Decline of Fcking Western Civilization*, a dark comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Alison Brie, with Jesse Williams in talks for a third major role. Filming began in Los Angeles on September 16.
The film is being described as an ensemble piece in the vein of Election meets American Beauty, though its full plot is being kept under wraps for now. No logline or character details have been released, and it remains unclear what specific roles Kutcher, Brie and Williams will play.
Gregg Araki is directing and writing the film, working from a script by Kevin W. Koehler, which Araki has since completed revisions on. Koehler’s other writing credits include The Phantom Limb, a screenplay that landed on the Hollywood Blacklist, an annual list of notable unproduced scripts. The film is being produced by Why Not Productions and Goodfellas.
Araki is a pioneering figure in queer cinema, best known for his boundary-pushing films from the 1990s and 2000s, including The Doom Generation, Nowhere, Mysterious Skin, Splendor and Kaboom, along with his so-called Teenage Apocalypse trilogy of Totally F**ed Up, The Doom Generation and Nowhere. His 1992 film The Living End is often cited as an early landmark of New Queer Cinema, helping establish his reputation as a director unafraid of transgressive material.
He also directed White Bird in a Blizzard, a 2014 drama starring Shailene Woodley that remains an underrated entry in his filmography. After spending much of the last decade working in television on shows such as 13 Reasons Why, Riverdale and Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, as well as creating his own series Now Apocalypse, Araki returned to feature filmmaking this year with I Want Your Sex, a lauded erotic BDSM romance starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman that marked his first film in more than a decade.
His new project marks his second feature in quick succession following that comeback and continues what outlets have described as his return to erotically charged, darkly comedic filmmaking for the big screen. Araki is represented by Tricario Chavez and Black Bear.
Ashton Kutcher, 48, is best known for his roles in That ’70s Show, Two and a Half Men, No Strings Attached and The Butterfly Effect. He recently starred in the FX body-horror series The Beauty, part of a broader effort in recent years to move beyond his earlier comedic, goofball image. He is represented by CAA, Untitled and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Alison Brie, known for Community, GLOW and Masters of the Universe: Revelation, most recently starred alongside her husband Dave Franco in the 2025 body-horror film Together, a visceral performance that marked a sharp departure from her earlier, more wholesome roles.
Jesse Williams, 45, is widely recognized for his long-running role on Grey’s Anatomy. His other credits include The Cabin in the Woods, Shifting Gears and Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. He is also set to appear in the final season of Apple TV’s The Morning Show. Williams is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360, Granderson Des Richters and Yorn, Levine, Barnes.
With production now underway in Los Angeles, The Decline of Fcking Western Civilization* marks another fast turnaround for Araki following I Want Your Sex earlier this year. The project brings together a notably eclectic trio of leads, each currently in different stages of reshaping their public image through darker, more provocative work. No release date has been announced yet, and further plot and casting details are expected to emerge as the film moves through production.
