Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Fox looking to lock down Joel Edgerton for spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence

Joel Edgerton in Black Mass.
Warner Bros. Picture / Warner Bros. Picture
Joel Edgerton may join Jennifer Lawrence’s ever-growing list of talented co-stars. The actor is in talks to star opposite the Oscar winner in Fox’s upcoming spy thriller Red Sparrow, reports Deadline. The film is an adaptation of the 2013 novel of the same name.

Written by Jason Matthews, the book centers on two modern-day intelligence officers: Russia’s Dominika Egorova and American CIA agent Nathaniel Nash. The two operatives’ paths cross when Dominika, a trained seductress, is assigned to work against Nathaniel as he attempts to gather Russian intelligence. Complicating both of their jobs is the fact that they have a strong mutual attraction.

Recommended Videos

The role seems like a good fit for Edgerton, who, like his prospective co-star, has a string of credits in acclaimed films to his name. The Australian actor has amassed a large body of work over the years, including notable roles in Zero Dark Thirty, 2013’s The Great Gatsby, and Black Mass. He will next appear alongside Ruth Negga in Loving, which has already sparked buzz about possible Oscar contention.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

While Edgerton is clearly talented in his own right, joining forces with Lawrence seems like a smart move. The actress has repeatedly drawn awards show attention for her work, as have her co-stars, which bodes well for Edgerton. The two would be directed by Francis Lawrence, who worked with Jennifer Lawrence on three of the four Hunger Games films.

The Red Sparrow script was written by American Hustle screenwriter Eric Warren, and then later rewritten by Justin Haythe, who penned 2013’s The Lone Ranger. The film is being produced by Chernin Entertainment, with Steve Zaillian and Garret Basch serving as executive producers.

A timeline for the thriller’s release has not yet been announced.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
Street Fighter at 30: Why we love this hilariously bad video game movie
street fighter at 30 why we love this hilariously bad video game movie hero

Video game movies didn't have a great track record in the '90s, as exemplified by 1993's live-action Super Mario Bros. movie and the ill-fated Double Dragon film. Those two projects were followed in December 1994 by Street Fighter, an adaptation of Capcom's hit fighting game franchise. The Street Fighter 2 game had revitalized arcades three years earlier, which made this film the second-most prominent video game adaptation to that point. It was also far more successful at the box office than either Double Dragon or Super Mario Bros., with $35 million domestically and $99.4 million worldwide.

Although Street Fighter did well compared to its predecessors, it's also a terrible film that was savaged by critics upon its release. But unlike some other awful movies, Street Fighter is still oddly enjoyable to watch despite its shortcomings... and also because of them. For Street Fighter's 30th anniversary, I'm going to explain why I've come to love this hilariously bad movie before touching upon the future of the franchise.
A real American hero

Read more
10 best Dracula movies, ranked
Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter in "Nosferatu."

Dracula, aka Nosferatu, remains one of the most terrifying and well-known figures in pop culture. Since author Bram Stoker introduced the world to his vampiric vision with his 1897 novel, the character has been adapted into several forms of media over the past 127 years, most recently in Robert Eggers's Nosferatu.

There have been multiple movies across different genres that center around the iconic bloodsucker, and it seems like they won't stop coming anytime soon. While the world continues to embrace the terrors of the legendary vampire, here are the best films centered around Dracula/Nosferatu so far.
10. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Shadow of The Vampire (2000) Official Trailer
This meta-horror film stands out for presenting a fictionalized account of the production of 1922's Nosferatu, with F.W. Murnau inadvertently hiring Max Schreck, an actual vampire, to star in his film as Count Orlok.
Such an unconventional remake makes for an excellent satire of the film industry and its vices, with Murnau being the eccentric, demanding director and Schreck the extreme method actor who's too into his character. But like the actual Nosferatu, this film is a dark depiction of obsession and how far one is willing to go to satisfy it.

Read more
Ken Jeong shares his emotional response to the Community movie script
Ken Jeong in Community.

Just over two years ago, Peacock officially ordered a Community movie based upon the fan-favorite sitcom that ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015. Since then, there's been frustratingly little movement on the project. However, former cast member Ken Jeong -- who played Ben Chang for the show's entire run -- has seen the script for the film, and he loved it.

"It made me emotional and just brought me right back, and that's all I'm legally allowed to say," said Jeong during an interview with TV Insider. "There is a script, there is a plan. We just don't know when [it will happen]. Once that's agreed upon, it'll be magical and real emotional ... I think being on set experiencing that again [will be] so gratifying. Words can't even express."

Read more