It looks like Damien Chazelle’s untitled prison movie is gearing up to begin production in October, with filming expected to take place in Los Angeles. There are still no official plot details, but the project continues to quietly take shape behind the scenes.
As previously reported, Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig are attached to star. The film is being described as a gritty, mid-budget prison drama with action elements—something of a departure from Chazelle’s previous work, but potentially in line with a more grounded, character-driven approach. There had been some speculation earlier this year that, given its two leads, the film might be set in the UK, but the decision to shoot in L.A. seems to suggest otherwise.
This is the same project Chazelle began developing after his Evel Knievel biopic with Leonardo DiCaprio stalled out earlier this month. That film had been in the works for a while but hit a wall over scheduling and budget concerns, clearing the way for Chazelle to pivot to something smaller and more contained.
Not much else is known about the prison movie at this point, other than that it’s expected to “explore themes of justice and redemption.” The film is being set up at Paramount, where it was quietly greenlit back in April.
Depending on how things come together, this could mark something of a creative reset for Chazelle, whose last film, “Babylon,” underperformed at the box office despite some passionate defenders and strong craft across the board.
No official title yet, though expect more news to surface in the coming months as production approaches.
Chazelle is the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “La La Land,” “Whiplash,” and “First Man.” It’ll be interesting to see what he concocts here as, his being just 40 years old, he’s one of the more talented young-ish filmmakers in the game.