Back in early 2025, pre-production on S. Craig Zahler’s “The Bookie and the Bruiser” had hit a snag and been pushed back, most likely due to Adrien Brody Oscar campaigning, and win, for “The Brutalist.”
Well, now Brody’s been replaced by Theo James (“The Monkey”), and after more than a year of waiting, ‘Bookie and the Bruiser’ is set to shoot this coming March in Toronto.
No word on further casting, save for Vince Vaughn and James’ participation. The DP is Benji Bakshi, who has shot Zahler’s last three films— his most recent credit is being the cinematographer on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.”
My best guess is that Brody dropped out because he has to shoot Damien Chazelle’s “Evel Knievel on Tour,” although thst project then hit a snag when Leonardo DiCaprio dropped out of negotiations, and Chazelle hopped on another project. Still, Brody isn’t doing Zahler’s film.
Regardless, “The Bookie and the Bruiser” is slated to reunite Zahler with Vince Vaughn, who is the lead here, and has led the filmmaker’s last two films.
Set in 1959 New York, The Bookie & The Bruiser follows Rivner, a thoughtful Jewish man, and Boscolo, a hulking Italian-American from the Lower East Side. Both WWII veterans return home changed and team up as a bookmaker and enforcer, launching a lucrative but dangerous gambling racket. Trouble brews when they’re caught between a powerful Irish gang and the Mafia.
Zahler’s three directorial efforts—“Bone Tomahawk,” “Brawl in Cell Block 99,” and especially “Dragged Across Concrete”—speak for themselves. These are distinct works from a singular voice. A methodical filmmaker, Zahler explores the madness of morally conflicted men, with sharp dialogue and brutally drawn-out action. I can’t wait for this next one.