A few days ago, I noted that the whole Tarantino backlash surrounding Paul Dano will ultimately work in Dano’s favor, as his name is being talked about more now than at any other point in his career. Case in point: Dano has just been cast in a major new project.
The actor will star in “Bunker,” a psychological thriller from Oscar–winning filmmaker Florian Zeller (“The Father”). Dano joins a film led by Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, alongside Stephen Graham and Patrick Schwarzenegger (via Variety).
“We are thrilled to welcome Paul Dano to the cast,” said Zeller. “From ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ to ‘There Will Be Blood,’ Paul has consistently impressed me as an actor. He possesses an extraordinary singularity — something genuinely unique — and in that sense, he is truly irreplaceable.”
“Bunker” actually started filming last week. Zeller’s debut, “The Father,” was an acclaimed and Oscar-winning film (98% on RT). Most believe he struck out with his sophomore effort, 2022’s critically maligned “The Son,” starring Hugh Jackman and Vanessa Kirby (29% on RT).
Zeller is now out for blood; he wants to prove the naysayers wrong, and he’s enlisted Oscar-winning actors and real-life couple Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) and Cruz (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) to star in his third film.
“Bunker” centers on an architect who takes on a controversial assignment to design a survival bunker for a tech mogul. As the project unfolds, his wife begins to reassess their 17-year marriage. The film is positioned as a tense exploration of the personal and ethical strains faced by a couple in an increasingly unstable world, highlighting the inner turmoil and complex decisions of contemporary life.
Zeller crafted this English-language film specifically with Cruz and Bardem in mind—who have themselves been married for nearly 17 years. Speaking about the project, Zeller says he was inspired by the couple’s real-life marriage and exceptional talent, aiming to explore the complexities of a relationship while blending emotional authenticity with a “blurring of reality and fiction.”
As for Dano, the sudden surge of attention — sparked by Tarantino calling him everything from overrated to “the worst fucking actor in SAG” — has prompted an outpouring of support from his peers. He’s not going anywhere.
I can confirm that Joel Coen’s “Jack of Spades” is based on Frances Frederica Montrésor’s 1901 novel “The Alien: A Story of Middle Age.” It’s a ghost story. A gothic mystery.