What’s next for Jared Leto after “Tron: Ares” in 2025? Deadline reports the actor and Oscar winner will produce and star in h.wood Media‘s on a real-life of science professor who moonlights as a cat burglar. Andy Bellin adapts the article “The Talented Dr. Gray” by Steve Croft and Howard L. Rosenberg for the currently untitled pic. Also of note: no one’s attached to direct yet, just Leto as Dr. Lawrence Gray.
READ MORE: ‘Tron: Ares’ First Look: The Jared Leto Starring Film Will Be Released In 2025
But it’s a cool stranger-than-fiction role for the actor. In it, the John Cabot University professor uses his elite social connections to infiltrate homes and steal over $1 million in valuables. Gray’s victims over his spree span five states and include his longtime fling Jacqueline Quillen, a prominent woman in Washington D.C. high society. But Gray’s exploits remain shrouded in mystery. His criminal activities reportedly started in 2004 after he began his relationship with Quillen and lasted over 15 years until Quillen’s son Parker sued Gray over numerous missing valuables. After Quillen died in 2020, Gray and Parker settled the matter confidentially, but Gray maintains his innocence, claiming the family’s accusations stem from their disapproval of his relationship with Quillen.
So is Gray indeed a cat burglar who fleeced friends and lovers, or is this a matter of elitist prejudice? That’ll likely be the central dilemma for this film, but don’t expect the movie to mirror the real story. Instead, h.wood Films plans to relocate the story to London to lend the film a more international flair. Emma Ludbrook produces the film through Paradox, her banner with Leto, with Scoop Wasserstein also producing through Scoop Productions.
Screenwriter Bellin sounds excited about the project. “The moment I read the article, I knew this would make an incredible movie,” he said in a press statement. “The real hook here is the psychology of Dr. Gray and the fantastic twists that come along with it. This story explores the perceived perfect lives of privilege and glamour, which is actually a world of cunning, subterfuge and deception. We’re so lucky that Jared has the same drive for such complex characters; and that h.wood Media sees what we see in this project.” Bellin’s other work includes “Lovelace” and “Trust,” and is also the author of the bestseller “Poker Nation.” Other upcoming projects for Bellin include “Baccarat Machine” with Awkwafina, HBO‘s “Think Aaron,” and “Chop Shop” with Christina Ricci and Hamish Linklater.
As noted earlier, Leto stars next in “Tron: Ares,” due in theaters next year. Leto won a Best Supporting Actor a decade ago for “Dallas Buyers Club.” More recent fare for the actor includes “Blade Runner 2049,” “House Of Gucci,” “Morbius,” and the Apple TV+ miniseries “WeCrashed.”
Stay tuned for more news, a director, and an official title for this project, which sounds like one of Leto’s more promising recent roles.