S. Craig Zahler's ‘The Bookie and the Bruiser' Starts Production —Fred Melamed Joins the Cast

UPDATE: ‘Bookie and the Bruise’ has started production in Toronto. Furthermore, Fred Melamed (“A Serious Man”) has joined the ensemble. Benji Bakshi is the cinematographer, which makes sense — he’s lensed all three of Zahler’s films.

EARLIER: Is it just me, or has interest in S. Craig Zahler grown exponentially over the last seven years since the release of “Dragged Across Concrete”? It’s not just the emails I get asking about the status of his next film — I’m seeing it online as well.

Hell, ‘Dragged’ even hit #1 on the Netflix charts, four years after its release, back in 2023. Yes, the same film The Daily Beast described as a "Vile, Racist Right-Wing Fantasy," adding that it "revels in the violence it inflicts on women and minorities." Vulture called it a “basic boneheaded, right-wing action movie. Vanity Fair opined that "Dragged Across Concrete is energized by a dynamic in which the bad white guys get to say, do, and represent whatever repugnant worldview they want.”

And they say film criticism is dead.

Back in early 2025, pre-production on Zahler’s next film, “The Bookie and the Bruiser,” hit a snag and was pushed back — most likely due to Adrien Brody’s Oscar campaign, which eventually led to a win for “The Brutalist.”

Well, Brody’s been replaced by Theo James (“The Monkey”), and after more than a year of waiting, ‘Bookie and the Bruiser’ is set to start production on April 7 to May 27 in Toronto under the working title “Christmas Mysteries.”

Several weeks ago, Zahler had hinted at more casting surprises to come on his GoodReads blog. We should have more details about that very soon. 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.”

EARLIER: My best guess is that Brody dropped out, delaying ‘Bookie,’ because he had to shoot Damien Chazelle’s “Evel Knievel on Tour,” but then that project hit a snag when Leonardo DiCaprio dropped out of negotiations, and Chazelle is now shooting another film. 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.