THEO JAMES REPLACES ADRIEN BRODY IN UPCOMING GANGSTER THRILLER
Theo James is reported to be replacing Adrien Brody in The Bookie & the Bruiser.
According to Variety, the Gentlemen and Divergent actor is set to star in the upcoming gangster thriller from writer-director S Craig Zahler.
Brody — who recently won an Oscar for his role in The Brutalist — was originally linked to the lead role, but has now reportedly pulled out due to scheduling conflicts (via World of Reel).
Set in 1959 New York City, The Bookie & The Bruiser will star James as a "pensive" Jewish man named Rivner opposite Vince Vaughn's Italian-American character Boscolo.
The synopsis reads: "Having served in World War II, the two return as changed men, no longer fitting into their old lives.
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"Unwilling to take orders or play by the rules of polite society, the two partner up as a bookmaker and his enforcer and run an illicit gambling operation that proves highly profitable — but dangerous.
"Their operation thrives until they're caught in a violent power struggle between the Mafia and an Irish gang, forcing them into a violent fight for survival."
James last appeared on the big screen in writer/director Osgood Perkins' horror movie The Monkey, adapted from Stephen King's short story of the same name.
The movie follows twin brothers Hal and Bill (both played by James) as they reconnect to quell the threat of a cursed toy, which they discovered in their childhood.
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Talking to Digital Spy ahead of the film's release in February, James noted that as much as he loved playing both roles as they're "entirely different personalities", it did come with its challenges.
"Hal is quite internal, this kind of broken guy, but he's the moral centre of the film, and then Bill is a little 10-year-old trapped in an adult's body and, as a result, is completely insane," he explained.
"We pushed both characters, Oz and I, as far as we could, but especially with Bill. We wanted him to feel as fun, but as kind of toxic and maniacal as possible.
"But it's a strange thing acting against yourself because you're not doing it in real time. So you have to plan and have some idea of what you're gonna do. Not so much that you're affecting the naturalism of the scene, but you have to really think what the outcome is of the scene before you're going to do it."
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2025-05-11T12:26:35Z