Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle is assembling a powerful cast for his next project. Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig are currently in negotiations to star in Chazelle’s upcoming untitled film, which is set to be produced by Paramount Pictures.
Chazelle, best known for La La Land, Whiplash, and First Man, will write and direct the film. He will also produce alongside Olivia Hamilton under their banner, Wild Chickens Productions.
While specific plot details remain under wraps, sources indicate the film will be a prison-set drama. If negotiations are finalized, production is expected to begin later this year.
This project marks a reunion between Chazelle and Paramount, which previously backed his 2022 film Babylon. Despite a star-studded cast that included Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Babylon underperformed at the box office, grossing just $63 million worldwide against an $80 million budget.
Chazelle signed a first-look deal with Paramount in 2022. The studio initially announced in 2024 that he was working on an Evel Knievel biopic with Leonardo DiCaprio, but plans shifted after DiCaprio exited the project.
Now, Chazelle turns his focus to a new story, potentially with two of Hollywood’s most sought-after actors. Craig, who recently concluded his tenure as James Bond, is set to return in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 3: Wake Up Dead Man and will also appear in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation. Murphy, fresh off his Academy Award win for Oppenheimer, continues his rise as a leading man in high-profile projects.
No release date has been announced for Chazelle’s new film.
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