Back in February, news broke that Rami Malek would star in a CIA thriller “Amateur,” about a cryptographer who blackmails the agency into training him to go after the terrorists who killed his wife. Sound like a good role for Malek? Indeed it does, and Deadline has the word on the supporting cast around him for the film.
And it’s an interesting trio of actors to join the project, with “The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan leading the way. The other two: “Outlander” star Caitríona Balfe and Laurence Fishburne. Not a bad supporting cast; Adrian Martinez already joined the film earlier this year.
And most intriguing is who helms the film. “Slow Horses” is director James Hewes‘s movie, with “American Made” scribe Gary Spinelli penning its most recent draft. Malek also serves as executive producer on “Amateur,” with Hutch Parker and Dan Wilson producing for 20th Century Studios.
While Fishburne is no stranger to agency thrillers like “Amateur,” this film is a coup for the likes of Balfe and Brosnahan. Both actresses have found massive success on “Outlander” and “Mrs. Maisel,” respectively, but neither has had a big-screen breakout yet; Brosnahan may get it if James Gunn indeed casts her in “Superman: Legacy.” But Balfe did get nominated for a BAFTA for Kenneth Branagh‘s 2021 film “Belfast,” so she’s due for a big role like this. As for Mr. Fishburne, the veteran actor recently starred in “John Wick: Chapter 4” and Netflix‘s “The School Of Good And Evil.” He reunites with Francis Ford Coppola next for the much-anticipated “Megalopolis.”
Do these castings make “Amateur” on the more intriguing films that may hit theaters in 2024? Malek doesn’t have anything really lined up after he’ll appear in Christopher Nolan‘s “Oppenheimer,” so this film may be where audiences see him next; either that or the untitled Buster Keaton series Malek is attached to.
