EXCLUSIVE: David Weil has commenced production on Tyrant, with four new additions to the L.A.-lensed Amazon MGM culinary thriller: I May Destroy You‘s Paapa Essiedu, Heated Rivalry breakout Hudson Williams, musician Omar Apollo (Queer), and fashion and lifestyle creator Nara Smith.
Character details are under wraps. The actors join an ensemble led by Charlize Theron, Julia Garner, and Demi Moore.
One of the few high-profile films shooting in Los Angeles this year, Tyrant‘s logline is being kept under wraps, but it’s said to be a high-stakes thriller in the vein of Wall Street and Whiplash set within New York City’s elite fine dining scene. Weil is directing from his own script, based on a story conceived with Cody Behan.
The Picture Company partners Alex Heineman & Andrew Rona are producing along with Theron and her Secret Menu partners Beth Kono & A.J. Dix. Weil is also producing with producing partner Natalie Laine Williams. Stan Wlodkowski is serving as executive producer on the film.
A recent Olivier Award winner known for his breakout performance in HBO/BBC One’s I May Destroy You, which earned him Emmy and BAFTA nominations, Essiedu will soon be seen taking on the iconic role of Severus Snape in HBO’s Harry Potter series, out Christmas Day. He is represented by WME, Curtis Brown, and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Cole.
Williams is one of the breakout stars of HBO Max and Crave’s cultural phenomenon Heated Rivalry, the queer hockey romance series now heading into its second season. He’s currently in production on the film Apparatus and will also be seen coming up in Netflix’s The Altruists and Crave’s Yaga. He is repped by CAA, Red Management, and Hansen Jacobson.
Apollo is a recording artist whose debut album, Ivory, earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and produced the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Evergreen.” On screen, he is best known for his role opposite Daniel Craig in Luca Guadagnino’s A24 romance Queer. He is repped by CAA, Open Door Management and Carroll Guido Groffman.
A model and lifestyle creator known for her serene, ASMR-style cooking videos, Smith is repped by Range.