Ben Stiller to helm London, Oscar Isaac to star
After breaking out in the sci-fi genre five years ago with both the Oscar-nominated Ex Machina and the blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Oscar Isaac is ready to return to the genre in an upcoming adaptation of the short story London, with Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder) attached to direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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No details have currently been released on the “high-concept thriller” short story from bestselling crime writer Jo Nesbo, best known for having penned the Harry Hole novels, one of which was previously adapted into the infamous 2017 flop The Snowman starring Michael Fassbender (Dark Phoenix). The script for the film is set to be penned by Eric Roth, who has been nominated for five Oscars for Forrest Gump, on which he won, The Insider, Munich, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born.
Stiller made his feature directorial debut in the 1994 indie romantic dramedy Reality Bites and has since taken on increasingly larger productions behind the camera including the Zoolander films, Tropic Thunder and the 2013 remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Most recently he helmed the seven-episode biographical thriller limited series Escape at Dannemora at Showtime, which received critical acclaim upon release and was nominated for two Golden Globes and six Primetime Emmy Awards and landing Stiller a DGA Award.
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London would mark a reunion of sorts between Isaac and Roth, with the Oscar winner penning the script for the upcoming sci-fi blockbuster remake of Dune, on which the Star Wars alum is one of a large ensemble roster. In addition to the sci-fi world, Isaac starred in the Netflix actioner Triple Frontier alongside Pedro Pascal, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam and Garett Hedlund, as well as the box office hit animated reboot of The Addams Family, which currently has a sequel in development to release in October 2021.