Writer/directors Brit Marling and Zal Batmangli are a terrific creative pair, consistently delivering a mix of high-concept and adult drama into a super compelling assemblage. While their ambitious Netflix show “The OA” didn’t fare so well on the streamer—critically acclaimed with a hardcore fandom, but not really great ratings—other televisions competitors have recognized their talent. So, their next gig is the murder mystery series, “The Retreat,” and it’s just expanded its cast in a major way.
READ MORE: The OA’s Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij Reunite For New FX Murder Mystery Series’ Retreat’
According to Variety, the show’s cast has added Clive Owen (“The Knick”), Harris Dickinson (“Trust,” “The King’s Man”), Alice Braga (“Queen of The South”), Jermaine Fowler (“Sorry To Bother You”), Joan Chen (“Twin Peaks”), Edoardo Ballerini, Raul Esparza, Pegah Ferydoni, Ryan J. Haddad, and Javed Khan.
The series follows a young detective invited by a billionaire alongside eleven others to a fantastic remote location only for one of the guests to turn up dead, and she attempts to prove its murder. Previously announced cast members include Emma Corrin (“The Crown”), who plays amateur detective Darby Hart, and Brit Marling herself, who also appeared on “The OA.”
Brit Marling co-created the series with Batmangli, and their previous collaborations beyond “The OA” include “The East” (2013) and “Sound of My Voice” (2011). The creative duo will write, direct, and produce the original whodunnit as per their usual process.
Here is the show’s logline: “Gen Z amateur sleuth named Darby Hart (Corrin). Darby and 11 other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire to participate in a retreat at a remote and dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must fight to prove it was murder against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life.” Indeed, “Knives Out” has breathed a lot of new life into the murder mystery genre, huh?
Owen recently played President Bill Clinton in the FX series “Impeachment: American Crime Story” and co-starred with Julianne Moore in the Apple show “Lisey’s Story” that is based on the psychological horror novel by Stephen King. He’s also set to star in Scott Frank’s series treatment of the film noir private detective Sam Spade that Humphrey Bogart famously played in “The Maltese Falcon.” Dickinson is a rising star worthy of note, too, and following his breakout role in 2017’s “Beach Rats,” he’s become a much-in-demand actor. Next up, he appears in Sony’s “Where the Crawdads Sing” coming this summer alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Ruben Östlund’s long-awaited “Triangle of Sadness,” which presumably will debut at Cannes.
It’s unclear if we’re getting “The Retreat” in late 2022 or 2023, but either way, we’re extremely all about it.