Oscar Isaac had to drop out of “Kockroach,” an upcoming NYC crime pic with a touch of the Kafkaesque. So who will replace him, and star alongside Channing Tatum and Zazie Beetz?
Deadline reports that Taron Egerton is the new star of the film, and he’ll star as a mysterious stranger who takes on New York’s criminal underworld, transforming himself into a larger-than-life boss in the process. “Kockroach” is the first film for director Matt Ross since 2016’s “Captain Fantastic,” an adaptation of William Lashner‘s 2007 novel of the same name (written under Lashner’s pseudonym, Tyler Knox). Jonathan Ames pens the adapted screenplay, with revisions by Ross, with Andrew Lazar and Kevin Frakes producing. Production on the film starts next February in Australia.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Taron to “Kockroach” and to see him team up with Channing and Zazie in this fresh and bold take on the gangster genre,” Lazar said in a press statement. “Under the extraordinary talent of director Matt Ross, “Kockroach” will push boundaries and expectations in the same ways as such seminal films as “Scarface” and “Goodfellas.” I’m also thrilled to see our incredible creative team coming together. Academy Award-winning production designer Colin Gibson, DP Adam Arkapaw, and VFX Supervisor Jonathan Dearing.”
Egerton is coming off of “She Rides Shotgun” and “Smoke,” Dennis Lehane‘s show for Apple TV+. The actor also starred in “Carry-On” late last year, a title that ended up a sleeper hit for Netflix. Up next for Egerton, beyond “Kockroach”? He has two other upcoming pics: “Apex,” a survival thriller, where he stars opposite Charlize Theron, and “Everybody Wants To F*ck Me,” a London-set dating thriller with Jessica Henwick.
With shooting on “Kockroach” to start early next year, expect it in theaters in 2027 at the earliest.
