‘Shōgun' Star Cosmo Jarvis to Lead ‘Young Stalin' Biopic From ‘Zone of Interest' Producer Access Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)
Cosmo Jarvis, star of FX's smash hit series 'Shōgun,' will star as future Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 'Young Stalin.' Georgian-French helmer Géla Babluani ('13 Tzameti,' 'Money') has signed on to direct the period thriller that is being financed by Len Blavatnik's Access Entertainment, which backed Jonathan Glazer's Oscar-winning Holocaust film 'The Zone of Interest' and last year's 'Conclave.'
Based on the acclaimed bestseller by Simon Sebag Montefiore, 'Young Stalin' charts the early days of the Soviet strongman when he was a bank-robbing gangster in pre-revolutionary Russia. Babluani and Sebag Montefiore wrote the screenplay for the film that is also being backed by AI Film and Monte Rosso Prods.
More from Variety
Al Pacino Joins Bobby Moresco-Directed Biopic 'Maserati: The Brothers'
Tessa Thompson to Present First-Ever Cannes Golden Globe Prize for Documentary (EXCLUSIVE)
Nordic Film Institute Honchos Talk Cannes Agenda and Best Memories (EXCLUSIVE)
Set against the backdrop of Imperial Russia's criminal underworld and revolutionary ferment, the film explores the making of the bloody dictator who would reshape the 20th century through terror, war and ideology — and the largest bank heist in Russian history, according to the logline.
Director Géla Babluani said: 'I've always been drawn to stories that live in the shadows, and there's no shadow longer than Stalin's. This isn't a portrait of power — it's a descent into the fire that forged it. With Cosmo, we have a lead actor who understands danger, charm and the fractures of identity.'
Upgrade is presenting the package to international buyers in Cannes. Principal photography is set to begin in Tbilisi in July.
Sam Taylor of F&ME ('Before the Rain') is producing alongside Archil Gelovani of IFP ('April'), Vladimer Katcharava of 20 Steps ('Girls of the Sun') and Alexander Kushaev ('The Painted Bird'). Blavatnik is executive producing with Danny Cohen and Vince Holden. Rupert Lloyd, Gunda Bergman and Esko Rips round out the producing team.
'Stalin's early life as a bank-robber is an extraordinary and largely unknown story, driven by revolutionary zeal and characterized by violence, betrayal and lust for power,' Cohen added.
Jarvis' upcoming projects include Guy Ritchie's next film, 'Wife & Dog,' and he recently starred in A24's Iraq War thriller 'Warfare.' He is repped by UTA and the Artists Partnership. Babluani is handled by UBBA in Paris.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Adults' Peaks In Episode 6 With Julia Fox, Ketamine, And Charlie Cox Eating Raw Chicken
Thanks to FX's Adults, a new comedy series that follows five twenty-something roommates as they struggle to navigate adulthood, I now see life in two phases: the roast chicken phase and the raw chicken phase. While I love a good coming-of-age story that seeks to replicate Friends/Girls/New Girl vibes, the fresh but familiar series from Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw admittedly took a while to grow on me. In early episodes, the writing and deliveries of certain jokes felt-try hard to a distracting degree. As the series progressed, characters and personalities started to feel much more lived-in. And in Season 1, Episode 6, 'Roast Chicken,' everything clicked. Hilarious spoilers for Episode 6 ahead. The standout installment — written by Sanaz Toossi and directed by Jason Woliner — showed Billie (Lucy Freyer), Samir (Malik Elassal),Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao), and Anton (Owen Thiele) throwing their very first dinner party for special guest, Mr. Teacher (Charlie Cox), the 42-year-old high school educator Billie's been dating. On the menu? Roast chicken and a heaping side of pressure, because Billie needed the night to go perfectly so she could impress her new man and prove the roommates have their shit together. 'We are more than capable of throwing a dinner party, despite what people say about people our age — that we're neurotic, irresponsible, directionless, or that we lie about using menstrual cups,' Billie told her pals in a pre-dinner party pep talk. 'Tonight we're gonna prove them wrong. We are in the roast chicken phase of life. We can be mature. And we can be normal. And we can cook a roast fucking chicken like the goddamn grown ups we are.' Minutes before Mr. Teacher rang the doorbell, Billie was thriving. She changed into a stunning black dress, did her hair and makeup, put an apron on, and popped her chicken in the oven. The vibe she was curating? A sophisticated evening full of delicious food, good banter, and thoughtful discourse over The Atlantic articles. Did Samir's dad's suit that made him look like he 'runs Gotham City' fit in with her dream dinner decor? No. Did Anton's short velvet suit jacket and ass-less leather chaps, aka his bartending uniform, clash with the event? Yes. But like Issa said, 'There's napkins on tables. There's nuts in bowls. This is basically a gala!' Despite the early red flags, Billie tried her best to relax and convince herself perfection was within reach. When the doorbell rang in unison with the fire alarm, however, it should have been a clear sign that the night would be all downhill (complimentary) from there. Though Mr. Teacher made an A+ first impression, minutes after Samir took his coat, he revealed he was on a large, introductory does of ketamine and asked Samir to keep the secret between them. For literal seconds, Samir obeyed his former educator. Even after telling Anton 'he's tripping his balls off,' Samir couldn't stop overthinking the problem and longed to loop in Billie. With Disaster #1 in motion, Adults took a detour to introduce Disaster #2: Paul Baker's mystery dinner guest, Jules. Issa, confident in herself and her relationship with Paul, was excited to meet his good friend, 'Foxy J.' But when actress and model Julia Fox answered the door looking glam AF with an edgy black and white fit, bleach blonde hair and eyebrows, and a famous glow to her, Issa full-on spiraled with insecurity. While 'the A++ version' of Issa was 'being interesting all over the sofa,' Billie remained in the kitchen determined to conquer the roast chicken, and Samir followed a wandering Mr. Teacher into a bedroom, where he found one of Billie's old yearbooks and had a ketamine-induced epiphany. 'I have to end it with her! Oh fuck! What the fuck am I doing? This girl was a child! I'm dating a child,' Cox's sky-high character said before performing a random somersault and fleeing the room. Meanwhile, Julia Fox ate all the crab dip! And Issa went into her closet and changed into her best Julia Fox fit! Sadly, she couldn't compete with Jules' stories about hanging in Lorne's office at Saturday Night Live, her poetic toast, or Mr. Teacher's chaotic dancing to Boney M's 'Sunny.' But despite everyone's best efforts, the real star of the show was Billie's roast chicken, which genuinely looked great until Mr. Teacher carved into it and blood splattered across the table. 'Did she forget to thaw that out?' Julia Fox, also a culinary genius, asked the group. Yes. Yes, she did. But Mr. Teacher was so high that he didn't notice he was serving everyone raw chicken drizzled with raw chicken juices. As everyone looks on in disgust and bewilderment, Cox's character chowed down on the uncooked bird in a gag-inducing, laugh-out-loud-worthy culmination of the episode's mounting chaos. Samir took the moment to free himself from the shackles of his secret and told Billie her Teach was on drugs. And rather than collapsing on his plate for the night, Cox jolted upward and kept his scene stealing streak going, dialing up his unhinged performance by shouting at the group for not saying grace, then hiding out in the bathroom, where he broke up with Billie. In a genuine show of maturity and capable problem-solving, a crushed Billie called her 42-year-old ex's ex wife to come pick him up, and after Foxy J got a car home, the friends said 'Fuck Mr Teacher!' before Billie let out one final scream into the oven in a delicious dinner party conclusion. While the chicken wasn't cooked, the episode absolutely ate. Adults delivered a wild, hilarious 24-minute ride that featured seamless writing, delightful performances, and smart callbacks that made viewers feel like they were part of the friend group — from Issa's Jane Fonda story and Paul Baker's 'weird milk,' to the boys not knowing how to waft. Cox fully embraced the chaos, delivering an amusing performance ripe with physical comedy. And Fox was perfectly cast as someone with just the right amount of fame, fashion, and influence to impress viewers while rattling Issa. As Samir said, 'she knows Sandler,' but she's not SO famous that she wouldn't believably befriend Paul Baker at Meals on Wheels. The episode unequivocally proved that Adults' core characters (and crucially, Mr. Andrew Teacher) are still in their raw chicken phase of life. But at least they're trying! They're making solid efforts to figure themselves, their careers, their relationships, and their futures out. And who among us can't relate to that journey? At the end of the day, we're all just adults hoping to successfully reach our roast chicken phases. (Unless you're vegan like Jules!) And when Adults serves up raw, relatable (occasionally heightened) moments of fear, humor, love, heartbreak, humiliation, and chaos, the show has the power to shine. Adults Season 1 is now streaming on Hulu with new episodes airing Wednesdays on FX.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney's New Soap Collab Will Be Made With 'Her Actual Bathwater'
Men like Sydney Sweeney. How much do they like her? Well, men's personal hygiene company Dr. Squatch is making a new soap with a secret ingredient: Sydney Sweeney's actual bathwater. For real. 'You kept asking about my bathwater after the @drsquatch ad … so we kept it,' Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus season one) posted to her Instagram account on Thursday. Called 'Sydney's Bathwater Bliss,' the bricc (what Dr. Squatch calls its soap bars) is a 'very real, very limited-edition soap made with my actual bathwater,' Sweeney wrote. More from The Hollywood Reporter Sydney Sweeney, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, Michelle Yeoh Films Sell Wide at Cannes Sydney Sweeney Teases "Unhinged" 'Euphoria' Season 3 Sydney Sweeney, Halsey Get Violent While Hunting Down a Rare Artifact in 'Americana' Trailer Why do this? Well, you know why: because men are gross. So now they can cleanse themselves — well, their skin at least — with saponified oils (of olive, sustainable palm and coconut), shea butter, natural fragrance, Sydney's bath water, sand, mica, kaolin clay and sea salt. God knows what else they'll do with it: Dr. Squatch called Sweeney's bathwater 'one of nature's finest aphrodisiacs.' Don't try to check us on that 'men are gross' thing. First of all, I'm a man and I'm gross. But more relevant here are the multiple stalker fan letters to Dr. Squatch asking for this exact product — and definitely asking for worse things. Here's a relatively tame one: Unfortunately, there's a lot more where that came from; swipe right on the post. Clearly, the personal-care company (and Sweeney, whom Dr. Squatch calls a 'legend' for this) are leaning in. Days ago, the collab was teased by a Dr. Squatch post that read: 'Wanna take a shower with Sydney Sweeney?' Well, come June 6, you can. Sort of. The medium grit bar soap has 'refreshing notes of pine, Douglas fir and earthy moss,' per the manufacturer. Naturally, Dr. Squatch named the scent 'morning wood.' Sydney's Bathwater Bliss is 'a perfect combination of the two best places on the planet: The outdoors and Sydney Sweeney's bathtub,' the company continued. It appears that 100 creeps lucky winners will get a bricc made with Sweeney's actual bathwater. (To win one, you have to be '18+.' This bath soap couldn't get pornier.) The rest of you can buy a bar next week for $8. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Dr. Squatch and Sweeney's reps for more info. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Lady in the Lake' to 'It Ends With Us': 29 New and Upcoming Book Adaptations in 2024 Meet the Superstars Who Glam Up Hollywood's A-List Rosie O'Donnell on Ellen, Madonna, Trump and 40 Years in the Queer Spotlight
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Julie Bowen Thought She'd Be Replaced By Sydney Sweeney in ‘Happy Gilmore 2'
Nearly three decades after the release of Happy Gilmore, a sequel is on the way — and co-star Julie Bowen is still surprised she was asked to return. The first film follows Adam Sandler's unlikely golf hero Happy, with Bowen as Virginia Venit, the pro golf tour PR director who serves as Happy's love interest. The official trailer for Happy Gilmore 2 was released at Netflix's Tudum event on Saturday, as Bowen told The Hollywood Reporter when she heard it was happening, 'I thought, 'Well I won't be in it.'' More from The Hollywood Reporter Adam Sandler Swings Away in Full 'Happy Gilmore 2' Trailer - With One Classic Throwback Line Sydney Sweeney's New Soap Collab Will Be Made With "Her Actual Bathwater" Sydney Sweeney, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, Michelle Yeoh Films Sell Wide at Cannes 'And that was OK — it was like Virginia Venit, it's been 30 years, he's got a hottie. He's got some little bitty on the side, like a cart girl,' she said of her assumptions of Sandler's character. 'As a matter of fact my children told me, before I was even told officially that there was a Happy Gilmore sequel, my now 18-year-old said, 'Mom, I hear they're doing a sequel and he's with Sydney Sweeney as a cart girl.'' It was indeed a rumor online that Sweeney had been cast in the film, and though it ended up not being true, Bowen joked, 'I went, I'm hurt and I so respect that move. Of course, why wouldn't you? So when I got the call that I was actually in it, I was like, 'Are you sure? Come on.'' There will be plenty of new additions to the sequel though, with Bad Bunny, Margaret Qualley, Benny Safdie, Travis Kelce, Kym Whitley and Eminem all making appearances. Bowen revealed she is a Bad Bunny superfan and was particularly excited to have him on set. 'Seeing Bad Bunny on set I was just like, 'Oh, I can't actually look you in the eye, I'm going to have to walk away,' and I did. I think he was offended and I had to circle back and now I made it worse,' she teased. 'I'm the kind of person who doesn't want to meet her heroes because I think I'm just going to be a jackass.' Happy Gilmore 2 starts streaming July 25 on Netflix. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
