Ari Aster is setting up his next project, a thriller titled Scapegoat, and Deadline reports that Jacob Elordi is in talks to star in the A24 film alongside Scarlett Johansson.
There’s been plenty of speculation about Scapegoat, ranging from the film being a sci-fi romance or about a doctor who operates on a famous influencer, but official plot details are being kept under wraps. Aster is directing from a script he wrote.
Johansson was Aster’s first choice from the beginning, as was Elordi. If his deal closes, the plan is for the film to start shooting later this year.
Elordi will soon be seen in Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic epic The Dog Stars. The film tells the story of Hig (Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Josh Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. But when Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission, he ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exist.
The rest of the cast includes Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce. It will be released in theaters, IMAX, and premium large formats on August 28.
Scott has said that The Dog Stars might be his best movie. But if you recall, Scott made a similar claim about Gladiator II, calling it “one of the best things I’ve ever made.“
Aster made a splash in the horror scene with his debut feature film, Hereditary, and although he’s released three movies since—Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid, and Eddington—that first film has remained his most popular and critically acclaimed.
“In some ways, it’s really irritating,” Aster joked earlier this year. “I’m trying to get better. Every film I make I actually feel kind of prouder of than the last, and yet it’s like diminishing returns as far as their reception is concerned. I’m thrilled. You want something to last. It’s great. More people come up to me and say they love this film than any of the others. Midsommar I guess is the other.“
He’s even written a prequel to Hereditary, but it remains to be seen if he’ll actually make it.