Julia Roberts Leads New Thriller From Suspiria Director

The film is a dramatic thriller about a college professor (Julia Roberts) whose life is upturned when a star pupil levels a serious accusation against one of her colleagues, which also pulls a dark secret from her own past. The script has been something of a hot property, with several agents telling Deadline that it’s one of the better scripts that has come out since the end of the WGA strike. Multiple directors have met with Imagine co-founder Brian Grazer about the script, but apparently Guadagnino’s take on the film was the most impressive.

Once Julia Roberts was attached to star, the film became an even hotter property, and Amazon MGM ended up snapping it up with a strong bid. Amazon MGM also worked with Guadagnino on Challengers, so it seems like a natural fit. Challengers is set to hit theaters on April 26 and already has a ton of critical buzz, with Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist leading the film.

Challengers is about a former tennis player turned coach (Zendaya) helping her husband (Mike Faist) compete in a Challenger event, only for him to face off against his wife’s former lover (Josh O’Connor). Guadagnino has a near-impeccable filmography at this point, with previous efforts Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria, and Bones and All each receiving tons of critical acclaim. Challengers and the Julia Roberts-led After the Hunt seem like they’ll continue that trend.

Meanwhile, Julia Roberts is fresh off a hit Netflix film from Sam Esmail, Leave the World Behind. The film follows a family on vacation who are interrupted by two strangers warning them of an impending blackout. The film also starred Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon.

Julia Roberts returned to feature-length films just recently, with the one-two punch of Ticket to Paradise in 2022 and 2023’s Leave the World Behind. Before that, Roberts’ last feature-length film was Ben is Back in 2018. By joining a prestige film like After the Hunt with Luca Guadagnino, she’ll undoubtedly be continuing her recent hot streak.

Another movie that has been long-gestating for Julia Roberts is her adaptation of the Chris Cleave novel Little Bee for Amazon Studios. Roberts was announced as a producer and star of the film way back in 2018, but there haven’t been many updates on the film since then. The film also hasn’t been canceled, so it’s seemingly still on the way.

In the meantime, stay tuned to hear more about this Luca Guadagnino and Julia Roberts project as more news is released. You can check out Roberts in Leave the World Behind now on Netflix. You can see Guagagnino’s next project, Challengers, on April 26.

Source: Deadline