Alma Har’el Sets ‘Wet’ as First Film Since ‘Honey Boy,’ With Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Connor Storrie abd Odessa A’zion in Talks

It’s been seven years since Israeli-American director Alma Har’el’s feature debut, “Honey Boy,” which was written by and starred Shia LaBeouf.

We recently learned that Har’el has settled on her next project: a feature film called “Wet,” starring Javier Bardem in the lead role. There are no plot details for now, other than that it is a “family drama in the vein of HBO’s “Succession” and the 2022 Oscar-nominated film “Triangle of Sadness.” Har’el wrote the screenplay.

What’s more, Deadline is now reporting that Rebecca Ferguson (“Dune”), Connor Storrie (“Heated Rivalry”) and Odessa A’zion (“Marty Supreme”) are in talks for the film, which will be hitting the TIFF market in early September.

Bardem has Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved,” Florian Zeller’s “Bunker,” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” coming out this year. He also appeared in Apple TV’s “Cape Fear,” which premiered earlier this summer. Bardem is currently shooting the Elizabeth Chomko-directed rom-com “Hello & Paris,” co-starring Kate Hudson and set up at Amazon/MGM.

As for Har’el, “Honey Boy” garnered positive reviews, but a relatively quiet stint away from cinema followed, as she went on to helm TV shows, including seven episodes of “Lady in the Lake” in 2024. She also directed the 50-minute Bob Dylan concert documentary “Shadow Kingdom” in 2021. Har’el had previously been trying to mount an adaptation of Walter Tevis’s 1980 dystopian science-fiction novel “Mockingbird,” but that project has since been shelved by Searchlight, which has now led to this latest project.

Wachsberger’s 193 is handling sales. Fifth Season is due to finance and produce alongside Chris Leggett, Riva Marker, and Har’el. The aim is to shoot “Wet” in Spain early next year.