How much has Timothée Chalamet’s worth as a Hollywood actor risen since starring in hits like “Dune,” “Wonka,” and “A Complete Unknown”? Quite high, actually.
Recently, The New York Times reported that Chalamet will be paid $25 million for his upcoming action-heist motocross film “High Side,” directed by James Mangold. At 29, he becomes the youngest actor to command a reported upfront payday of that size.
Now THR says the film has a budget of at least $100 million. What are Chalamet and Mangold cooking up here? Why is Paramount betting so heavily on a non-IP, motocross-driven movie? Hey, I’m not complaining — we need more projects like this greenlit.
Just hours into a new era at Paramount, the studio acquired “High Side,” reuniting Chalamet with Mangold after their Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” which recently earned eight Oscar nominations. The duo has made this project a top priority, and it could very well begin production next year.
“High Side” centers on Billy, a former MotoGP prodigy whose promising career was cut short by a devastating crash and a troubled family past. Now running a garage and caring for his addicted father, Billy is pulled back into danger when his estranged brother Cole—an FBI fugitive—returns with a daring plan: robbing banks using superbikes.
Chalamet recently shot Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part III” and has been earning raves for A24’s most expensive movie ever, Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme,” coming out this Christmas. He isn’t currently attached to any other project except Mangold’s.
It’s remarkable how much Chalamet’s stock has risen in just five years. Can he continue to capitalize on his early promise and keep delivering hits? Only time will tell, but his streak of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films suggests he has the potential for lasting star power.
It gives me no pleasure to report that this is one of the worst films of Schrader’s career. Wooden acting, Jack Huston and Sofia Boutella are badly miscast, the script is dull, the photography is flat; nothing works.