An avalanche of excellent film packages have been linked to the Cannes Market this month, and another one has a high-profile actress and director involved. Emily Blunt (“Sicario”) and Potterverse director David Yates are teaming up for a new crime thriller, “Pain Hustlers,” that is set within the world of prescription drugs. Deadline reports the Central Flordia story penned by Wells Tower focuses on a woman, Blunt’s Lizzie Drake, trying to help her struggling pharmaceutical start-up. When the company becomes successful, she’s pulled into a criminal conspiracy.
Here is the film’s synopsis as mentioned by the outlet:
Liza Drake, a high school dropout who, after dreaming of a better life for her and her young daughter, lands a job with a failing pharmaceutical start-up in a yellowing strip mall in Central Florida. Liza’s charm, guts, and drive catapult the company and her into the high life, where she soon finds herself at the center of a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences.
Grey Matter Productions and Wychwood Pictures produce.
Blunt is currently shooting Christopher Nolan‘s atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer,” due to be released next July by Universal, expected to be involved with Paramount’s “A Quiet Place 3,” which may drop sometime in 2025, is attached to Disney’s “Jungle Cruise 2,” and has been open for a return alongside Tom Cruise for a long-delayed sequel to the sci-fi actioner, “Edge of Tomorrow.”
“Pain Hustlers” will begin filming towards the end of August and would indicate that Yates is taking a break from the Wizarding world.
The project’s announcement is an interesting development since Yates had been expected to direct “Fantastic Beasts 4” next since he’s helmed the last seven Potterverse films but there were reports that Warner Bros. was waiting on the box office from “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” before moving forward with the last two installments.
It’s plausible that Yates directs “Pain Hustlers” between “Fantastic Beasts” films, then again, the studio has yet to make any formal announcements as the latest pic earned $365 million at the global box office, which is a franchise-low as “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” made $655 million on a production budget of $200 million.