Jacob Elordi Circling Ari Aster’s Next A24 Film SCAPEGOAT With Scarlett Johansson
Ari Aster may have found the next major piece of his mysterious new movie, and it’s a pretty damn good pairing.
Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi is in talks to join Scarlett Johansson in Scapegoat, the upcoming A24 thriller. Should negotiations close, the film would mark Elordi’s first project after taking a much-needed break following an incredibly busy stretch of projects.
Aster will direct Scapegoat from his own screenplay, with A24 distributing. A24 has released Aster’s previous four films, so the partnership is continuing with another project that already has a ton of curiosity surrounding it.
Exactly what Aster has cooked up this time remains a mystery. The plot is being kept under wraps, and the various descriptions floating around don’t exactly clear things up.
One version claims the story involves a doctor performing surgery on an internet-famous person. Another describes the movie as a sci-fi romance. There’s also talk that Scapegoat could be closer to a traditional drama than audiences might expect from Aster.
According to insiders, however, nobody seems to have reached a consensus about what the movie actually is. For an Ari Aster project, going into it without knowing what the hell to expect could end up being part of the fun.
Scapegoat will serve as Aster’s follow-up to Eddington, and the filmmaker reportedly took his time figuring out which project he wanted to tackle next. Once he settled on Scapegoat, actors were naturally interested in getting involved, but Aster already knew who he wanted at the center of the film.
That person was Johansson. After securing Johansson as his lead, Aster met with several actors regarding other parts in the movie. When it came to the next major role, though, Elordi was reportedly the filmmaker’s only choice.
Elordi certainly hasn’t been short on opportunities. The actor had several offers waiting for him, but after working almost nonstop for the past couple of years, he decided to give himself some breathing room before committing to another film.
That break came after a particularly demanding nine-month shoot on Frankenstein, which ultimately earned Elordi his first Academy Award nomination at this year’s Oscars.
Even while he was taking time away, Scapegoat apparently looked like the project most likely to bring him back to work. Negotiations began last week, and if everything comes together, production is expected to begin later this year.
It’s another interesting move for Elordi after a hell of a run over the past 12 months. His acclaimed work in Frankenstein, which debuted last fall, was followed by Warner Bros.’ Wuthering Heights, the hit adaptation in which he starred opposite Margot Robbie. He also returned for Euphoria, which came back this past spring.
Elordi will next appear in Ridley Scott’s action thriller The Dog Stars alongside Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin.
Pairing Elordi and Johansson with Aster is already enough to make Scapegoat one of A24’s more intriguing upcoming films. Aster has built his career around movies that can take some seriously unexpected turns, and the fact that nobody seems able to agree on what kind of movie he’s making only makes this one more interesting.
For now, Aster and A24 are keeping Scapegoat locked down, but we’re definitely interested in finding out what kind of madness Aster has planned next.
Source: Deadline