When Netflix announced its grand plans to release one original film a week back in January, well, let’s just say this writer was a little skeptical. Netflix has been true to their word so far, though, and with their recently announced slate of summer movies, it looks like the streaming service may pull the feat off. It’s a pretty impressive feat for Netflix, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic still stymying the movie industry at large.
Some of the most buzzworthy of Netflix’s summer selections are long-awaited films they’ve licensed from studios, like “The Woman In The Window.” Other under-the-radar movies are coming to the platform that deserve just as much buzz, though. One of those is “Beckett,” a Greek-set thriller starring John David Washington and Alicia Vikander. Details on the film are scarce right now, but we know it follows a vacationing couple who get swept up in a dangerous conspiracy.
Washington and Vikander are no strangers to action thrillers, as their respective turns in “Tenet” and “Tomb Raider” show. Joining them on vacation are Boyd Holbrook (‘Predators;’ ‘Narcos‘) and Vicky Krieps (‘Phantom Thread;’ ‘Old‘). That’s a formidable foursome to lead a film.
Even more intriguing is who’s behind the camera for “Beckett.” Ferdinando Cito Filomarino only has one feature film in his filmography, 2015’s “Antonia,” but his credentials will still impress. He served as second-unit director for Luca Guadagnino during the director’s super-stylized three-film run of “A Bigger Splash,” “Call Me By Your Name,” and “Suspiria.” Guadagnino serves as producer for “Beckett,” no surprise since he and Filomarino were a couple from 2009 to 2020.
Originally titled “Born To Be Murdered,” production for “Beckett” got underway back in April 2019 in Athens and the Epirus region in Greece. Netflix acquired the distribution rights last October. Netflix confirmed the film’s title change during the January announcement/flex of their gargantuan 2021 release schedule.
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With “Beckett” alongside Liam Neeson‘s “The Ice Road,” Jason Mamoa‘s “Sweet Girl,” and Zach Snyder‘s “Army Of The Dead,” Netflix is making sure blockbuster season happens at least in some capacity this summer. With the names involved with this film, not to mention its Mediterranean backdrop, it’s hard not to feel that “Beckett” is the most enticing actioner in the lot. The film hits Netflix on August 28. Check out the trailer below.