Mumblecore buddies Joe Swanberg and Jake Johnson will team up again soon, and this time, they’re bringing along two new friends: Dakota Fanning and up-and-comer Cory Michael Smith.
READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2025
Deadline reports that Swanberg will direct all three actors in an untitled, Alaskan-set romantic drama, the plot details of which remain under wraps. Fanning, Johnson, and Smith will also produce the pic alongside Swanberg and Ashleigh Snead. Executive producers on the pic include Dan Johnson, Kathy Gitibin Parsa, and Arian Parsa. It’ll be Swanberg and Johnson’s fourth time working together after “Drinking Buddies,” “Digging For Fire,” and “Win It All.”
The project sounds like it’s square in the wheelhouse for the prolific Swanberg, and it’ll be the first feature he’s worked on since 2020’s “Build A Wall.” He also co-wrote and produced Dave Franco‘s directorial debut “The Rental” that year. Other major credits for Swanberg include the Netflix series “Easy” and “Night and Weekends” (which he co-directed with Greta Gerwig). Acting credits for Swanberg include work from directors like Ti West, Josephine Decker, Adam Wingard, and Mickey Keating, among others.
As for Johnson, he’s coming off his feature directorial debut in the comedy thriller “Self Reliance,” which premiered at SXSW 2023. Other upcoming roles for the actor include the pickleball comedy “The Dink” opposite Ben Stiller, and the Apple TV+ series “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.”
Fanning’s recent work includes the Netflix limited series “The Perfect Couple” and “Ripley“; she received her first Emmy nod for the latter. She stars next opposite her sister Elle Fanning in “The Nighingale,” set to hit theaters in February 2027. Other upcoming work for Fanning includes the Peacock thriller “All Her Fault” with Sarah Snook and Bryan Bertino‘s horror pic “Vicious” over at Paramount.
Meanwhile, Smith broke out in the past year with key roles in Jason Reitman‘s “Saturday Night” and Jesse Armstrong‘s HBO pic “Mountainhead.” Up next for Smith? Joachim Trier‘s Cannes 2025 favorite “Sentimental Value,” which hits theaters this Fall courtesy of NEON. Smith will also star in two upcoming A24 pics: Jeremy Saulnier‘s buzzy Halloween-set thriller “October,” and “Famous” with Zac Efron.
Stay tuned for more details on Swanberg’s new pic as they arrive.
