EXCLUSIVE: After taking a much needed break, Oscar-nominee Jacob Elordi has landed on his next project as sources say he is in talks to co-star opposite Scarlett Johansson in the Ari Aster and A24 thriller Scapegoat. Aster is directing the pic from a script he penned. A24, who has released his past four films, as the distributor.
Aster and his partner Lars Knudsen will produce through their Square Peg banner. While the plot is being kept under wraps, there some have speculated that it’s about a doctor who operates on an internet-famous person, others say it’s sci-fi romance, others have said it’s more of a traditional drama for Aster but as of now there still has been no consensus on the movie’s details according to insiders.
Deadline first reported earlier this year that this would be Aster’s next film after the director had taken his time deciding on what would be his follow-up to Eddington. Once he had declared it as his next film, it didn’t take along for stars to start chasing the project, but Aster had one name in mind to lead it and tapped Johansson to star.
While he has met a number of actors for other roles in the pic, for the films next high-profile part, Aster had only one person in mind and that was Elordi. While the Frankenstein star has had a number of offers to pick from, he decided to take his time as well in a much needed break after working non stop over the past couple of years including a grueling nine month Frankenstein shoot that led to his first Oscar-nomination at this years awards.
That said, it always felt this would be his first project following that break and recently declared it with negotiations starting last week. If a deal closes, the plan is to shoot the film later this year.
Elordi has had as good a stretch over the past 12 months as any actor in town going back to that Oscar-nominated role in Frankenstein that bowed last fall. He followed that up with Warner Bros. with Wuthering Heights, the hit adaptation where he co-starred opposite Margot Robbie and also had his return to Euphoria, that bowed this past spring.
Next up, he is set to star in the Ridley Scott action thriller The Dog Stars, which also features Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin. He is repped by Gersh and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
