Paramount has officially won the auction for a majorTimothée Chalametmovie. A two-time Oscar nominee, Chalamet is one of the biggest names in Hollywood right now, and certainly one of the most important stars of his generation. He has a busy slate coming up withMarty Supremethis year andDune: Part Threefor next year.
As for Paramount, the company has been going through some huge changes.Paramount recently merged with Skydance, taking control of its projects. Just this week, on Aug. 7, this meant that the now-merged company would be run by new CEO David Ellison, after previously being helmed by three co-CEOs.
Right after this change,Varietyconfirmed that Paramount had won the bid for an upcoming Chalamet movie. They will distributeHigh Side, which is a motocross heist movie. According to the synopsis,Chalamet will lead as a former motocross racer who faces an accident, only to be drawn back to the sport by his estranged brother.
The film is set to be directed by James Mangold, based on an original story by Jaimie Oliveira, who will also write the script. It will be produced by Chernin Entertainment.Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg chimed in to supportHigh Side,saying the following:
We’re thrilled to be in business with visionary artists like James and Timothée, and exceptional collaborators like Peter and David at Chernin. What Jaime has created reflects the kind of bold, original storytelling we’re committed to championing at Paramount – and we couldn’t be more excited to hit the ground running with High Side.
What This Means For High Side
High Siderepresents the continued collaboration of several parties. Mangold and Chalamet worked together just last year on theBob Dylan biopicA Complete Unknown. As Chalamet continues to rise in his career, this could foster an interesting ongoing relationship with a creative and vital modern director.
Mangold also has experience working with the film’s producer, Chernin Entertainment. He previously teamed up with them forThe Greatest ShowmanandFord v. Ferrari. Paramount is also clearly excited about their producer-distributor work with Chernin, making for a series of good pairings.
Several of these collaborations have led to well-received films.BothFord v. FerrariandA Complete Unknownlanded several Oscar nominations,with Chalamet getting a Best Actor nod for the latter. As such, this is a positive sign forHigh Side, which could have some significant pull among critics.
Our Take On Paramount Winning High Side
I’m interested in howHigh Sidewill see this actor and director step a bit outside their comfort zone. One does not really associateTimothée Chalametwith a heist film, nor with James Mangold, for that matter. As such, it will be interesting to see this fantastic actor-director combo work with material that is a bit different from what they normally do.
