Benicio Del Toro and Cameron Diaz to Star in ‘Reptile’ Director’s Next Film

As Benicio del Toro’s Oliver Stone project falls apart, the “One Battle After Another” actor has set up his next film, and it’ll co-star Cameron Diaz.

The film is called “Reenactment,” and Grant Singer, who teamed up with del Toro on “Reptile,” wrote the screenplay and will direct. Production is set to begin soon in Los Angeles, with plot details being kept under wraps.

No distribution just yet on this one, but given Singer and Diaz’s recent Netflix connections, maybe the streamer could pick this one up.

Who’s seen “Reptile”? It was widely viewed on Netflix in the fall of 2023. The story centered on del Toro (predictably great) as a New England detective who works to solve the murder of a real estate agent. A miscast Justin Timberlake played the dead girl’s suspected husband, and Alicia Silverstone was del Toro’s wife.

I actually didn’t mind Singer ripping off Fincher’s style in “Reptile”; there are lots of “Seven” vibes in this one. There’s no question it’s a rip-off, right down to the yellow-hued cinematography. Some were pointing to it being more of a Villeneuve copycat, but didn’t Villeneuve basically rip off Fincher in “Prisoners”?

Regardless, for a while, I was highly engrossed by Singer’s detective thriller, but as the dramatic stakes kept getting raised, its 134-minute runtime got way too convoluted. It tried to be too clever. Timberlake didn’t sell any of his scenes either in a crucial role.

Maybe he has a better script for “Reenactment”? No Justin Timberlake either.

As for del Toro — a generational and undervalued actor — love the guy. His best work can be found in such films as “Traffic,” “Sicario,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “The Usual Suspects,” “Che,” and “21 Grams.” He also stands a good chance of earning his third Oscar nom for his playful work in “One Battle After Another.”