Nearly a year and a half after landing the Golden Globe nominees and Oscar winner to star in the film, Netflix has acquired the rights to the Luca Guadagnino-produced thriller Born to Be Murdered starring John David Washington (Tenet) and Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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In addition to the awards-worthy duo, the cast for the film includes Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Boyd Holbrook (The Predator, The Fugitive). The project was directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, the second-unit director of Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name, in his English-language directorial debut on a script penned by Kevin Rice. The film centers on a couple vacationing in Athens who fall upon a violent conspiracy with tragic consequences.
Much of the crew who worked with Guadagnino on his Academy-Award winning coming-of-age romantic drama joined him once more, including cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and Walter Fasano. Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Revenant) scored the film. Luca Guadagnino and Marco Morabito produced via their Frenesy Films, along with longtime co-producer Francesco Melzi and Gabriele Moratti with their MeMo outfit which is also the lead financier.
Though having suffered a bit at the box office due to its release in the midst of the pandemic, Washington recently saw his star power catapulted higher with the lead role in Christopher Nolan’s mysterious sci-fi blockbuster Tenet, which received generally positive reviews from critics, namely for the performances from its ensemble cast. Born to Be Murdered is also set to be the second collaboration between the streaming platform and Golden Globe nominee after the upcoming black-and-white romantic drama Malcolm & Marie, in which he stars alongside Zendaya (Spider-Man: Far From Home).
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Vikander has partnered with Netflix a few times in recent years, including the 2019 psychological thriller Earthquake Bird in which she starred alongside Riley Keough (The Devil All The Time) and the Dark Crystal prequel series, which was recently cancelled after one season at the streamer. She was most recently seen in the Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias playing one stage of the celebrated feminist’s life and is currently gearing up to return to the adventuring world of Lara Croft for the sequel to Warner Bros. Tomb Raider reboot.
Netflix is reportedly eyeing a 2021 debut for Born to Be Murdered.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)
