According to Deadline, Jude Law has joined Ari Aster's "Scapegoat," which already has Scarlett Johansson and Jacob Elordi in lead roles. Aster, who is directing from his own script, is once again teaming with A24, which has released his past four films.
Law is a great addition. He has quietly built one of the more interesting careers of his generation, even if the "next big leading man" narrative of the late '90s never fully materialized the way Hollywood expected. Remember how electric he was early on? "Gattaca," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "A.I.," "Road to Perdition," "Closer." Lately, he's starred in Justin Kurzel's "The Order" and Ron Howard's "Eden," and, most daringly, played Vladimir Putin in Olivier Assayas' "The Wizard of the Kremlin."
No plot details have been confirmed for "Scapegoat," but rumor has it that the film follows a surgeon (Johansson) whose career comes under scrutiny after a popular social media influencer dies during a routine operation. The influencer's grieving widow and brother (Elordi?) reportedly begin looking for answers, and the situation escalates as public outrage grows.
There have been rumors of a leaked script going around online, specifically on Reddit, where one user claimed to have read the screenplay, describing it as a spiritual sequel to “Eddington” set in the same universe, complete with a cameo from one of that film's characters. According to the user, the roughly 130-page script is set in Illinois and reportedly heavy on satire but less comedic than “Eddington,” focused on 2025–26 rather than 2020, and gives AI a larger role. They compared the tone to “Blow Out,” Alan J. Pakula's conspiracy thrillers, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” and hinted at some gnarly, violent moments.
Grieving widow. Social media influencer. Public outrage. If true, this sounds like the "spiritual sequel" to "Eddington" that Aster was talking about last year. He wants to keep making movies about the toxicity of modern society; that's what fascinates him at the moment.
"Scapegoat" starts production in November, which could line up well with a Cannes 2027 world premiere. Darius Khondji will be back as DP; his most recent credit was "Marty Supreme."
"Scapegoat" will be Aster's fifth feature after "Hereditary," "Midsommar," "Beau Is Afraid," and "Eddington," all from A24. It's hard not to root for him. In an era when so few filmmakers are allowed to play with real budgets and real ambition, Aster remains one of the few U.S. directors still swinging for the fences.
Jude Law has joined Ari Aster's "Scapegoat," which already has Scarlett Johansson and Jacob Elordi in lead roles. Aster, who is directing from his own script, is once again teaming with A24.