Hereditary's director has Jude Law, Scarlett Johansson and Jacob Elordi, but won't say what the film is
Johansson and Elordi were Aster's picks from the start. A24 is producing, and cameras roll before the year is out.
Right, if you’ve been following director Ari Aster since his Hereditary days, you’ll know the bloke is basically the poster child for modern horror weirdness. His next film, Scapegoat, is picking up a proper cast, with the latest addition being none other than Jude Law. Never let it be said Aster skimps on star power.
Jude Law Signs Up
Jude Law has officially hopped aboard Scapegoat, joining a roster that already includes Scarlett Johansson and Jacob Elordi—both of whom were apparently Aster’s top picks from the get-go. Why Law? He’s keeping busy these days, having just played Vladimir Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin, plus he’s about to show up on AppleTV with Wild Things (where he’s playing Vegas legend Siegfried opposite Andrew Garfield—yes, really), and he’s just finished filming Nancy Meyers’ new project. The man barely has time to take a breather, but now he’s headed straight into A24 territory for this one. His agents (CAA, Julian Belfrage Associates, and Jackoway Austen, if you’re making a chart) must be spinning keeping up with this lot.
Plot? Good Luck Guessing
The detail drought for Scapegoat is still in full effect. Rumours are flying everywhere about what this film’s actually about—anywhere from a sci-fi romance to a story involving a doctor operating on a famous influencer. Truth is, nobody outside the inner circle has a clue, as official plot details are staying locked away for now. What we do know: Aster himself wrote the script and will be directing, and his Square Peg banner (with partner Lars Knudsen) is handling production, as usual, with A24 behind them.
Production on Scapegoat is scheduled to begin before the year’s out.
Ari clearly isn’t wasting time here; his choices for leads were settled almost straight off, so the plan is to get cameras rolling late this year.
Aster’s Ongoing Hereditary Obsession
Let’s be honest: no matter how many films Ari Aster makes, everyone’s still talking about his debut, Hereditary. He’s churned out the likes of Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid, and Eddington since then, but Hereditary’s the one that lingers. Earlier this year, he admitted the curse of past success is lurking over his shoulder:
Here’s what Aster said about it:
“In some ways, it’s really irritating. I’m trying to get better. Every film I make I actually feel kind of prouder of than the last, and yet it’s like diminishing returns as far as their reception is concerned. I’m thrilled. You want something to last. It’s great. More people come up to me and say they love this film than any of the others. Midsommar I guess is the other.”
For a bit of trivia: Aster’s apparently even penned a prequel to Hereditary, but whether or not that ever sees light of day is anyone’s guess.
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