'Relay': Riz Ahmed & Lily James To Star In Upcoming Corporate Thriller From 'Hell Or High Water' Director David Mackenzie

Mark this one down as a most-anticipated upcoming project. “Hell Or High Water” director David Mackenzie‘s next outing is “Relay,” a corporate thriller with Riz Ahmed and Lily James to star. Mackenzie and Teddy Schwarzman of Black Bear Pictures will co-produce the film with Thunder Road‘s Basil Iwanyk and Sigma‘s Gillian Berrie.

READ MORE: ‘Fingernails’: Jeremy Allan White Will Join Jessie Buckley & Riz Ahmed In Upcoming Apple Original Film

As for plot details? Well, “Michael Clayton” fans, time to get excited. “Relay” stars Ahemd as a corporate “fixer” who gets roped into helping a potential client stay alive. Here’s an official synopsis from the film’s press announcement:

In Relay, Tom (Ahmed) is a world class “fixer” who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten their ruin. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from potential client Sarah (James), needing Tom’s protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change. 

Ahmed adds “Relay” to his other upcoming films, including “Nimona” and Christos Nikou‘s “Fingernails” with Jesse Buckley and Jeremy Allan White. Recent roles for Ahmed include his Oscar-nominated turn in “Sound Of Metal.” And who could forget his breakout, Emmy-winning performance in “The Night Of“? Ahmed also won an Oscar for his short film “The Long Goodbye” in 2021.

As for James, she’s fresh off one of her career’s most critically acclaimed roles in Hulu‘s “Pam & Tommy.” Up next, she has rom-com “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” and “Providence,” currently in post-production. Other future projects include the Italian film “Finalmente l’alba” with Willem Dafoe and Joe Keery, and the A24 wrestling drama “The Iron Claw.”

“Relay” will be Mackenzie’s first film since 2018’s medieval Netflix epic, “Outlaw King.” He’s dabbled in TV since then, directing an episode of “Homemade,” and two episodes of Hulu’s “Under The Banner Of Heaven.” Mackenzie co-writes the script for “Relay” with Justin Piasecki.

Ahmez in another NYC-set thriller? James flexing her dramatic chops? Mackenzie back in action? “Relay” sounds like a movie worth waiting for, but don’t expect it in theaters until mid/late 2024 at the earliest.