Ari Aster's "Scapegoat" keeps adding to its cast, and this latest batch is a strong one.
According to Deadline, Caleb Landry Jones, Ella Purnell (“Yellowjackets”), and Samba Schutte ("Pluribus") have joined the ensemble. They join a cast that already includes Scarlett Johansson, Jacob Elordi, and Jude Law. Aster is directing from his own script and is once again teaming with A24, which has released all four of his previous films.
Um, hell yeah, we love Caleb Landry Jones over here, one of the most interesting actors working today. Few actors commit to a role as fearlessly as he does, and pairing that unpredictability with Aster's style feels like a match made in some very specific, very anxious heaven.
If you need a primer on why Jones gets us this excited, start with "Nitram," Justin Kurzel's harrowing 2021 portrait of the man behind the Port Arthur massacre. It won him Best Actor at Cannes and remains one of the most unsettling, fully inhabited performances of the decade. Then go back to the Safdie brothers' "Heaven Knows What," where his frightening, raw turn as a junkie on the streets of New York showed early on just how far he was willing to go. Even in smaller supporting turns, he's the guy you remember: the creepy brother in "Get Out," the put-upon billboard guy in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and a memorable stint in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: The Return." And then there's Luc Besson's "Dogman," a wild, go-for-broke showcase that only works because Jones refuses to play any of it safe.
No plot details have been confirmed for "Scapegoat," but rumor has it 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 (possibly Elordi) reportedly begin looking for answers, and the situation escalates as public outrage grows.
"Scapegoat" starts production in November, which could line up nicely with a Cannes 2027 world premiere, if Aster can finish it in time. Darius Khondji returns as cinematographer; his most recent credit was "Marty Supreme."
"Scapegoat" will be Aster's fifth feature after "Hereditary," "Midsommar," "Beau Is Afraid," and "Eddington." 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 American directors still swinging for the fences.
Garland's script is written. Boyle called it "fantastic" in that same interview, Murphy says he's ready, and Boyle wants to direct. All that's missing is the money.