Earlier this decade, Paul Schrader had mentioned how he once considered Oscar Isaac for “First Reformed.” If he'd been ten years older then Isaac would have gotten the gig, alas, Ethan Hawke got it instead, but it turned out to be one of Hawke’s very best performances. It’s all water under the bridge it seems as Schrader has found another way to work with Isaac as he has cast the excellent actor as the lead for his upcoming “The Card Counter.” [via Variety]
The official synopsis:
The film, written and directed by Schrader, follows William Tell (Isaac), a gambler and former serviceman who sets out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past. Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk. Gaining backing from mysterious gambling financier La Linda, Tell takes Cirk with him on the road, going from casino to casino until the unlikely trio set their sights on winning the World Series of poker in Las Vegas. But keeping Cirk on the straight-and-narrow proves impossible, dragging Tell back into the darkness of his past.
A longtime contact and friend for Schrader’s sent me a message this morning raving about the potential of this new project. “I was sent the screenplay for “The Card Counter,” he wrote in the message, “It’s one of his best. As good or better than “First Reformed” or “Light Sleeper.” It’s “Hard Eight” meets "Abu Ghraib with “Rolling Thunder” echoes.”
HanWay Films has acquired international sales rights and will commence sales at the upcoming American Film Market. I presume A24, who distributed ‘Reformed,’ may be very interested in distributing “The Card Counter.”
Thatcher shows up on-screen for, at most, 10 seconds. She looks remarkably like Thatcher and comes off as almost too polished, non-human like. Further clues are pointing at AI.