Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind La La Land, Whiplash, and First Man, is preparing his next project, and it sounds like a bold departure from his previous work.
According to multiple reports, Chazelle is set to write and direct an untitled feature for Paramount Pictures, produced alongside Olivia Hamilton under their Wild Chickens Productions banner. Though plot details are being kept under wraps, the film is expected to be set in a prison, hinting at a darker, more confined story world than the sweeping energy of Babylon or the rhythmic intensity of Whiplash.
This move marks a fascinating shift for Chazelle. After the spectacular , and polarizing , Babylon in 2022, which chronicled the chaos of early Hollywood and struggled at the box office, a prison-set drama could signal a more intimate and grounded approach. The setting itself suggests something leaner, grittier, and character-driven, the kind of focused tension that made Whiplash such a breakout success.
Negotiations are underway for two major stars to lead the film: Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig.
Murphy, fresh off his Oscar win for portraying J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, continues to line up heavyweight projects. His intensity and ability to convey quiet menace could fit seamlessly into a story of confinement and psychological warfare.
Craig, meanwhile, is embracing a post–James Bond renaissance. Following his turn in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series and upcoming role in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation, this would be another unexpected and intriguing choice, pairing his sharp charisma with Murphy’s brooding depth.
If their deals close, the two could form one of the most compelling on-screen duos in recent memory. Whether the story pits them against each other or forces them into an uneasy alliance, audiences are in for something electric.
This project also represents a fresh start for Chazelle. After developing a biopic about daredevil Evel Knievel with Leonardo DiCaprio attached, a project that ultimately stalled when DiCaprio exited, Chazelle shifted gears toward this new, original idea. It continues his collaboration with Paramount Pictures, which previously distributed Babylon and holds a first-look deal with his production company.
Production is expected to begin later this year, though no release window has been announced. Given the caliber of talent involved and Chazelle’s track record for high-intensity drama, anticipation is already high.
For Chazelle, this film could mark both a creative reinvention and a return to his storytelling roots, where pressure, obsession, and human fragility collide in tightly wound spaces. If Whiplash was a psychological duel between teacher and student, perhaps this will be a battle between prisoners, or between freedom and confinement itself.
Either way, this is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated auteur-driven dramas on the horizon.
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