Just a quick update on Damien Chazelle’s next film, which began production in Athens on March 17: filming has wrapped, and the project is now in post-production. There’s no need to rush this one, which is why I doubt it will premiere at Venice this year.
The film, which stars Cillian Murphy, Daniel Craig, Michelle Williams, and Mia Threapleton, was reportedly shot under the title “Sacrifice.” This could simply be a working title—we’re not entirely sure—but at least it gives us something more concrete than “Untitled Damien Chazelle Prison Movie.”
Paramount is behind the film, and I gather a splashy 2027 premiere will be planned. Maybe Chazelle will make his debut at Cannes? That would be great. He has 11 months to complete post-production before the next edition of Cannes takes place. And remember—the French absolutely loved “Babylon.” It was a box-office hit over there.
As previously reported, the film is set in the 1940s and follows a prison warden (Craig) who attempts to discipline a defiant inmate (Murphy) within a brutal correctional system. As tensions escalate, their relationship evolves into a psychological duel. Williams plays the warden’s wife, while Threapleton portrays the inmate’s girlfriend.
The prison setting has been described as “fortress-like.” A “chaotic prison riot sequence” was filmed in April. The production is also investing $25 million of its budget in Greece and is said to draw inspiration from Claire Denis’ “Beau Travail.”
Lol Crawley (“The Brutalist”) serves as cinematographer, while Chazelle’s longtime collaborator Justin Hurwitz is composing the score. This mid-budget prison drama is set up at Paramount, though no release date has been announced.
The project marks Chazelle’s first film since 2022’s “Babylon.” His previous directing credits include “Whiplash,” “La La Land,” and “First Man.”