Oscar-winning writer/director Damien Chazelle’s (“La La Land”) last two films, “First Man” and “Babylon,” may have both deeply underperformed at the box office. However, A-list talent still loves the American auteur, so Hollywood continues to bankroll his big bets.
While Chazelle’s next film was set to be an Evel Knievel biopic, potentially starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Paramount Pictures couldn’t make the stars deal (asking too much, probably), so Chazelle has pivoted to a prison drama that he’s been developing for a few years. What’s more, he’s got another two A-listers on board: Academy Award-winner Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Academy Award nominee Daniel Craig (“Queer”).
While the deals haven’t closed, now that “Evel Knievel” is put on hold, the prison drama will be Chazelle’s next picture and production is set to begin later this year.
No plot details are available, but Chazelle will direct, has written the script and will also produce alongside Olivia Hamilton under their Wild Chickens Productions banner.
Chazelle works quickly; if he shoots this fall, he presumably can have the film ready to premiere at Venice 2026, the festival that launched his Academy-Award-winning bid for “La La Land.”
Chazelle’s “Babylon” grossed only $15 million domestically and $63 million worldwide against an $80 million budget. His Neil Armstrong movie, “First Man,” earned $105.6 million worldwide, $44.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $60.7 million internationally.
Still, it’s good to know that when top-shelf talent backs up American auteurs, studios tend to worry less about the bottom line and more about what they can score at the moment. [Deadline]
