An unlikely ensemble is teaming up to bring a script inspired by a true space race secret to the big screen. Viewers might never have thought that Marvel’s Spider-ham and Nakia would be in a film together, but the Disney-owned production company Searchlight Pictures is making the unlikely scenario a reality.According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Searchlight Pictures announced that actorsJohn Mulaney,Lupita Nyong’o, andJared Leto, are signed on to star together inLunik Heist, a fictional comedic drama based on a previously unknown but now declassified space race event.
Kemp Powers, director ofSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Versein which Mulaney voiced the spider pig hero, will directLunik Heist.Powers also wrote the script based on an article written by Jeff Maysh that was published inMIT Technology Review. The true story of the 1959 heist went down at the Mexico City expo where the CIA enacted their plan.Declassified in 2019, the real events detail the American government’s plan to steal a Soviet spacecraft at the expo to uncover the scientific capabilities of the Soviets.They ultimately succeeded in intercepting a Soviet space probe, studying it, and returning it all without the Soviets' knowledge.
Maysh will executive produce the space age fictional crime film. Actor Leto and producer Emma Ludbrook are producing for their production company, Paradox, alongside Mark Johnson of Gran Via Productions. Zahra Phillips will act as director of development, overseeing the project for Searchlight Pictures, under DanTram Nguyen, head of production and development.
Star-Studded Team Sure To Impress
This team is full of industry powerhouses. Director Powers previously worked with Mulaney forSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseand also directed Pixar’sSoul, which won an Oscar for best animated film in 2021. He also earned a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination for his film based off of his own play,One Night in Miami….The prowess of Powers combined with the seasoned cast makes for an exciting team.
Fellow Oscar winner Leto won for best supporting actor for his renowned performance inDallas Buyers Club.The versatile actor will star next inTron: Ares, as a former professor no jewel thief.The three-time Emmy Award winner Mulaney is a former writer onSaturday Night Live, andafter being inducted into the Five-Timers Club, will host for a sixth time this weekend. Besides being featured in Powers' animated Spider-Man film, Mulaney had recently been in the animated showBig Mouth.
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Nyong’o is an Academy Award winner for her performance in another Searchlight Pictures film, Steve McQueen’s12 Years a Slave.Recently lending her voice in DreamWorks Animation’s successful filmThe Wild Robot,the star was also the lead inA Quiet Place: Day One. The multi-talented actress will next play Viola in the Public Theater’s live production ofThe Twelfth Night.The combined telents of the three stars are likely to ensureLunik Heistshapes up to be a stellar production. Let’s hope the film can live up to the players' hype.
