Yes, it has been confirmed: Plaza is starring in Waters’ “Liarmouth”

American filmmaker John Waters will make his return to the big screen after twenty years for an adaptation of his debut novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance. The book, published in 2022, opens with con artist Marsha “Liarmouth” Sprinkle on the run following a heist she carried out with Daryl, her partner-in-crime, whom  she’s promised sex to once a year. Rumors that Aubrey Plaza would star as Sprinkle surfaced months prior in a number of news publications — however these rumors were dispelled by Waters. The filmmaker released a statement to Baltimore Sun, stating, “While I am thrilled and excited at the idea of Aubrey Plaza starring in my new movie ‘Liarmouth,’ the announcement that the film is ready to go in Baltimore, which was printed in an article in World of Reel and then the Guardian, is pure speculation.” 

John Waters’ last film was the 2004 comedy-drama “A Dirty Shame,” focusing on an uptight woman named Sylvia Stickles and her experience with sex addiction after being concussed. In a Film Daze article it is stated that Waters’ films  “explore the abject and transgressive, the people and ideas cast out of the mainstream. Underdogs, outsiders, weirdos and self-described filth are not only featured in the films, but are the protagonists.” Two decades later, John Waters has stuck to this original approach with the planned adaptation in the works featuring his offbeat, suitcase-thieving character, Sprinkle. 

When Plaza found out that Waters was turning his first book into a movie, she told Daze in 2022 how much she wanted to collaborate with the director on the project. Plaza said, “I emailed him immediately, and said, ‘You better let me audition for you. I even look like the girl on the cover [of the book he’s adapting].” Then added, “I exclusively only audition for John Waters. 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. They’ve told me I’m this generation’s Kathleen Turner. I mean, come on – I’m a shoo-in. I need that movie.” Marsha “Liarmouth” Sprinkles resembles many of the characters Plaza has portrayed in her career over the years. From her breakout role as April Ludgate in the series Parks and Recreation, as Allison in the independent film “Black Bear,” to her as Harper Stiller in The White Lotus series, Plaza’s iconic deadpan acting style makes her a great candidate for the lead of Waters’ upcoming film. After so much buzz in the media, Aubrey Plaza has officially been confirmed to play Marsha “Liarmouth” Sprinkle. Not long ago, John Waters told Variety that “the book was optioned. I turned in the script. They like the script, but we don’t have the money to make it. I’m thrilled that she’s going to [star in it], but we don’t have the money yet. I don’t know what’s going to happen, and so I’m trying to get ‘Fruitcake’ going too. We’ll see.”