EXCLUSIVE: Searchlight Pictures has come on to acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s next English-language project and set Eddie Redmayne to star and produce. The untitled feature will also be written by Kore-eda, with Jonathan King and Ash Sarohia joining Redmayne as producers. Joyce Jun and Kaoru Matsuzaki will exec produce.
Plot details are unknown at this time.
On the producing front, Redmayne has been growing diversified slate of projects having also recently produced Cabaret the Peacock/Sky series The Day of the Jackal, on which he is star and executive producer and in production on Season 2. The series premiered as Sky’s biggest new series ever in addition to the show being ranked No. 1 on Peacock’s Top 10 TV Shows and in the Top 5 Streaming Originals in the U.S. during its debut week.
On the acting side, Redmayne received Golden Globe, SAG and Critics Choice nominations for his performance in Jackal, which also earned Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice nominations for Best Drama Series.
Redmayne demonstrated his producer chops when initiating the West End revival of Cabaret starring Jessie Buckley. It also marked his return to stage; he played the role of Emcee. The 2022 production won a record seven Olivier Awards including Redmayne taking home Best Actor in a Musical. Following its success on the West End, the revival was brought to Broadway earning nine Tony Award nominations,
In the pipeline, Redmayne will star in Warner Bros Panic Carefully opposite Julia Roberts.
For Kore-eda, his 2018 film Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, was Japan’s official submission to the Oscars and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was widely honored by international critics’ groups and became one of the most successful Japanese films worldwide in recent years.
Kore-eda has also worked internationally, directing the French feature The Truth and the Korean feature Broker, as well as the Netflix series The Makanai and Asura. His most recent films include Monster and Sheep in the Box, set to release later this year.
Redmayne is repped by CAA, United Agents and Jackoway Austen. Kore-eda is repped by M3 Global Strategy.