Michael B. Jordan’s high-profile remake ofThe Thomas Crown Affairhas just added some award-worthy talent. Deadline first reported earlier this morning thatBelfastOscar winnerKenneth Branaghwould be coming aboard in an undisclosed, but potentially villainous, role for the romantic heist film. Following that,Killers of the Flower MoonOscar nomineeLily Gladstonewas added to the cast as well, followed by another report fromThe Hollywood Reporterthis afternoon thatDanai Gurirawould be reuniting with herBlack Pantherco-star Jordan as his character’s confidante. The trio will join thepreviously announced leads, Jordan andTaylor Russell, in the project, which will be the latest directorial effort from Jordan after making his debut onCreed III.
Perthe reports, the additions of Branagh, Gladstone, and Gurira come ahead of filming beginning on Monday in London. They weren’t the only newcomers toThe Thomas Crown Affaireither, with another Oscar winner inOppenheimerproducerCharles Rovenjoining to help produce through his Atlas Entertainment banner. Any details of the story are being kept under lock and key at this time, but theremake figures to follow a similar structureto the 1968 and 1999 versions. Both iterations revolve around the wealthy and bored businessman Thomas Crown, whoexecutes a high-profile heistjust for the thrill of it, only for the brilliant investigator to engage him in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that quickly becomes romantic. In the 1969 movie,Steve McQueenandFaye Dunawayplayed the leads, whileJohn McTiernan’s 1999 version starredPierce BrosnanandRene Russo.
On the creative end, Jordan directs from a script penned byDrew Pearce, whose previous writing credits includeIron Man 3,The Fall Guy, andFast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. A previous draft of the screenplay was also written byWes TookeandJustin Britt-Gibson, and it reportedly hewed closer to theNorman Jewison-directed classic. The original film’s writer, Alan Trustman, even serves as an executive producer on Jordan’s take, withMarc Toberoffof Toberoff Productions andPatrick McCormickalso on board as producers.
What Have Branagh, Gladstone, and Gurira Been Up To?
Though Branagh’s lone Oscar win came as a director and writer onBelfast, he brings an excellent acting resume to Jordan’s latest, most recently includingOppenheimer,The King of Kings, his third Hercule Poirot film,A Haunting in Venice, andBlue Eye Samurai, which iscurrently preparing for another season at Netflix.The Thomas Crown Affairis just his latest major casting, though, afterhis recent additionto the much-anticipatedThe Devil Wears Prada 2alongside returning starsMeryl Streep,Anne Hathaway,Emily Blunt, andStanley Tucci. He’s also bound forRyan Reynolds’s action-adventure movieMayday, which wrapped filming last June.
Gladstone made history by becomingthe first Native American to be nominated for Best ActressinMartin Scorsese’sKillers of the Flower Moon, and she hasn’t slowed down yet. In the time since, she’s earned acclaim for Hulu’s crime dramaUnder the Bridgeand has taken on a variety of big-screen roles between the indie dramaJazzyand the remake ofThe Wedding BanquetwithBowen Yang,Kelly Marie Tran, andHan Gi-Chan. Among her upcoming projects is theMarc MaroncomedyIn Memoriamand the action-thrillerLone WolfwithBrian Cranston, though that film has faced a bit of turbulence since wrapping production.
Gurira hasn’t been on the big screen sinceBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverin 2022, but the small screen has kept her plenty busy. She got the chance to reprise her role as the fan-favorite survivor Michonne in last year’sThe Walking Dead: The Ones Who Liveopposite her longtime co-starAndrew Lincoln. She’ll soon get the chance to become Okoye once more in the MCU with the upcomingEyes of Wakandain August, too.Thomas Crownwon’t be her only theatrical effort, though, as she’s set tojoinJohn Cenain his stackedMatchboxmovie.
The Thomas Crown Affairis due out in theaters on August 04, 2025. Stay tuned here at Collider for more as the film continues to fill out its cast.
The Thomas Crown Affair
Source:Deadline
