Damien Chazelle has made a career of surprising us. After the jazz obsession of Whiplash and La La Land, he gave us the Hollywood decadence overload of Babylon. Now he's heading to a 1940s prison for a psychological duel between Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig.
And yes, you read that cast correctly.
The untitled project, currently filming in Greece, marks Chazelle's first period piece that isn't about Hollywood or jazz (though given his track record, don't be surprised if someone plays piano in a prison cafeteria). Set within a brutal correctional system, the film follows a prison warden (played by Craig) attempting to break a defiant inmate (played by Murphy). As tensions rise, their relationship evolves into what's being described as a "psychological duel."
This is fascinating casting. Murphy just won an Oscar for playing the father of the atomic bomb; Craig redefined James Bond and proved his dramatic chops in Knives Out. Both actors specialize in playing highly intelligent characters with dangerous edges. Putting them in a power struggle within the confines of a 1940s prison? That's the kind of high-wire prestige drama that reminds you why people still make mid-budget adult films.
Michelle Williams plays the warden's wife, while Mia Threapleton - Kate Winslet's daughter, who's quietly building an impressive resume - plays the inmate's girlfriend. Lol Crawley, fresh off shooting The Brutalist, handles cinematography, and Justin Hurwitz returns to score another film.
