After the success of Hereditary and Midsommar, Ari Aster already has a new project. The director is preparing Disappointment Blvd, a film with Joaquin Phoenix as the lead actor.
In late 2020, rumors began circulating about Phoenix’s next role after the acclaimed Joker, which won him the Best Actor Oscar. According to Deadline, Phoenix has already officially committed to the Aster project. As the publication points out, all indications are that A24 will produce and finance the film after having previously produced Hereditary and Midsommar.
The details of the plot are being kept a secret, although Aster has been known to write the script in addition to directing. Deadline notes that the production will be “an intimate, decades-long portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.”
It’s not yet known when filming will begin, but the publication notes that Phoenix will likely be filming Disappointment Blvd ahead of Ridley Scott’s feature film Kitbag in which he will play Napoleon Bonaparte. Scott is currently preparing his police thriller Gucci, so production for Kitbag isn’t likely to begin until early 2022. While this will be his first film after winning the Oscar, Phoenix will soon be Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon. was recorded in 2019.
Aster debuted in 2018 with Hereditary, a horror film directed by Toni Collette that was a critical success and grossed $ 80.2 million worldwide. In 2019 he launched Midsommar, starring Florence Pugh, and reached $ 47.9 million at the worldwide box office.