With his stand-out performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby adaptation, Joel Edgerton has established himself one of the most sought after talents in Hollywood. Now that he’s conquered that territory, it’s time to move onto directing, and he has a particular project in mind.
Edgerton spoke to Screen Daily about his debut feature Weirdo, which he developed with producer Rebecca Yeldham (The Road). He first revealed the project last year, but added some more plot details to the psychological thriller. The film follows a male protagonist whose past comes back to haunt him in the form of an old school friend, and is described as a “very contained film: five or six locations and six characters.” Besides helming the work, Edgerton will also play a small supporting part.
While Weirdo marks his first directing gig, it’s not the first time the Warrior actor has worked behind the scenes. He penned Matthew Saville’s thriller Felony – which just made its world premiere at TIFF – and previously wrote the script for The Square, a feature that was directed by his brother Nash. He also contributed the story for The Rover, an upcoming Australia-set drama from David Michôd.
Edgerton plans to start shooting Weirdo in California sometime next year.
Considering how many films he’s currently involved with, do you think Edgerton will meet his production goal?