Adria Arjona Replaces Taylor Russell in Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Thomas Crown Affair’

Adria Arjona is taking over co-lead in Michael B. Jordan’s “The Thomas Crown Affair” for Amazon/MGM. Arjona, who’s coming off a star-making turn in “Hit Man,” will step into the female lead role, replacing Taylor Russell, who abruptly exited the project last week.

According to Variety, Russell’s departure left the project momentarily scrambling to fibd a replacement, but the studio reportedly fielded a flurry of calls after the news broke on Friday. Within 72 hours, Arjona was locked in — a sign of how aggressively producers are moving to keep the film on track.

Russell, who was the co-lead, alongside Jordan, departed the film in the middle of shooting. According to Deadline, her exit stemmed from “creative differences.” Who knows what these “creative differences” were, but the fact that Russell decided to bow out as production was happening means they were significant enough.

Although Russell is undeniably talented, this feels like an upgrade. Arjona brings the kind of sultry, magnetic screen presence that a ‘Thomas Crown Affair’ remake needs, especially given how much of the story hinges on the simmering sexual tension between its leads.

Either way, Arjona is clearly on a career upswing, riding high off “Hit Man,” “Andor,” Adam Wingard’s upcoming “Onslaught,” and persistent fan-casting as the next Wonder Woman.

Jordan, who’s also directing, is currently shooting the romantic heist thriller in London with an eye on a March 5, 2027 theatrical release. The cast also includes Kenneth Branagh and Lily Gladstone. Bradford Young is the DP.