Jessica Chastain, Brendan Fraser, and Bryan Cranston have joined Al Pacino in the upcoming mystery thriller Assassination. The film, directed by Barry Levinson and based on a script by David Mamet, Levinson, and Sam Bromell, will also feature Shia LaBeouf, Viggo Mortensen, John Travolta, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Courtney Love.
Assassination explores a fresh take on the JFK assassination conspiracy, centering on Chastain’s character, Kilgallen, a prominent media figure of the era. When Kilgallen begins to suspect that Lee Harvey Oswald didn't act alone, she leverages her influence to uncover the truth behind President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Her search pits her against powerful forces, including the CIA, mafia, and FBI, who would prefer her and the story to vanish. The film blends elements of murder mystery and film noir.
Produced by Corey Large, who is also financing the project, along with Jason Sosnoff, Assassination is slated to begin filming in early 2025 in Boston. Executive producers include John Burnham, Bernie Gewissler, Pia Patatian, and Jordan Nott, with Patatian managing global sales through her new company, Concord Studios. Nicholas Celozzi is also on board as a producer, and Patatian will present the film at the American Film Market.
Chastain, an Academy Award winner with numerous accolades, rose to prominence with roles in The Help, The Tree of Life, and Zero Dark Thirty, and won her Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. On television, her credits include George & Tammy on Showtime and HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage.
Fraser, who won his first Academy Award for The Whale, recently appeared in Killers of the Flower Moon with Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone. His upcoming projects include Rental Family from Searchlight and Pressure, in which he will portray Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Cranston, an Emmy, Tony, SAG, and Olivier Award recipient, recently starred in Argylle by Matthew Vaughn and will soon appear in Everything’s Going to Be Great alongside Allison Janney.
Director Levinson, who won an Oscar for Rain Man, has produced and directed critically acclaimed works such as Bugsy and collaborated with producing partner Jason Sosnoff on HBO’s You Don’t Know Jack, The Wizard of Lies, and Paterno.
Large is also producing The Razor’s Edge, an action thriller by Demian Lichtenstein starring James Franco and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as Jesse V. Johnson’s Scorpion, featuring Aaron Eckhart.