EXCLUSIVE: Golden Globe winner Taron Egerton (Carry-On) is joining Channing Tatum and Zazie Beetz in Kockroach, the New York crime pic heralding from producers Andrew Lazar (American Sniper) and Kevin Frakes (Hereditary).
Egerton takes over in the movie from Oscar Isaac who was announced in late August but is out due to scheduling conflicts.
Lazar today described the film as in the vein of Goodfellas and Scarface. The synopsis reads: “Kockroach is the story of a mysterious stranger who takes on New York’s criminal underworld, transforming himself into a larger-than-life crime boss in a city where power is everything.”
The feature adaptation of the novel by William Lashner is in pre-production with filming scheduled to begin in February in Australia. Matt Ross (Captain Fantastic) will direct from a screenplay by Jonathan Ames (You Were Never Really Here) with revisions by Ross.
Black Bear will continue selling international rights at the upcoming AFM. CAA Media Finance and Range Select co-rep domestic.
Heads of department include Colin Gibson, the production designer who won an Oscar for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road; Emmy-winning cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, whose credits include The Order, The King, Macbeth, and the first seasons of Top of the Lake and True Detective; and VFX Supervisor Jonathan Dearing, known for his work on M3gan, The Invisible Man, and Upgrade.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Taron to Kockroach and to see him team up with Channing and Zazie in this fresh and bold take on the gangster genre. Under the extraordinary talent of director Matt Ross, Kockroach will push boundaries and expectations in the same ways as such seminal films as Scarface and Goodfellas. I’m also thrilled to see our incredible creative team coming together. Academy Award-winning production designer Colin Gibson, DP Adam Arkapaw, and VFX Supervisor Jonathan Dearing,” said Lazar.
Kingsman, Rocketman, Black Bird and Carry-On star Egerton was most recently seen in Apple TV series Smoke and crime pic She Rides Shotgun.
Egerton is repped by Range Media Partners, United Agents and Sloane, Offer.