Washington DC [US], May 21: Acclaimed filmmaker Damien Chazelle is reportedly in talks with Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig to headline his next untitled feature film, which is said to be set within a prison, according to Deadline.
Chazelle, best known for La La Land, Whiplash, and Babylon, has written the script and will also direct and produce the film under his Wild Chickens Productions banner alongside Olivia Hamilton. The project will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.
While plot details remain tightly under wraps, insiders suggest the film will explore themes centered around incarceration, and negotiations are currently underway with Murphy and Craig. If finalized, production is expected to begin later this year.
The director had been considering multiple projects, including a biopic on stunt legend Evel Knievel that reportedly had Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star. However, after those plans fell through, Chazelle pivoted back to the prison drama.
Cillian Murphy, fresh off his Academy Award-winning performance in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, recently wrapped filming on the Netflix Peaky Blinders movie titled The Immortal Man. He also starred in the critically acclaimed indie drama Small Things Like These.
Daniel Craig, meanwhile, was last seen in A24’s ‘Queer’, a role that earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He is also set to return as detective Benoit Blanc in the next Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man, which will release on Netflix later this year.
If the cast comes together as planned, the film will mark a major collaboration between three of Hollywood’s most celebrated talents, combining Chazelle’s visual storytelling prowess with the gravitas of Murphy and Craig.
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