Chris Hemsworth, Taron Egerton's crime-thriller ‘Kockroach’ gets major production update
'Kockroach' is an upcoming crime-thriller movie starring Chris Hemsworth and Taron Egerton in the leading roles. According to reports, the movie is set against the backdrop of New York City and has recently wrapped up production in Australia's New South Wales. The movie's plot chronicles the arrival and rise of a mysterious stranger who establishes a formidable grip over the city's criminal underworld. As time passes, the character transforms himself into a larger-than-life criminal mastermind in a city that considers power paramount and above everything else. The upcoming movie is based on the novel of the same name written by William Lashner.
'Kockroach' is directed by Matt Ross and apart from Hemsworth and Egerton, the cast also includes Zazie Beetz, Alec Baldwin, Brian Geraghty, and Rachel Sennott. Jonathan Ames of 'You Were Never Really Here' fame wrote the screenplay, with revisions made by Ross himself. Andrew Lazar is one of the producers of the film, and his past credits include 'American Sniper'. Christina Weiss Lurie, who had previously produced 'Persuasion', is also on board as a producer. The international rights of the movie are being handled by Black Bear, while CAA Media Finance and Range Select co-represent the domestic rights.
It is interesting to note that at its core, Lashner's novel is a reimagining of the classic Franz Kafka story 'Metamorphosis', which portrays a man waking up one morning, only to discover to his horror that he has somehow been transformed into a large cockroach. Therefore, one might speculate that the upcoming movie will feature an element of comedy coupled with gore and a dark tonality in general. The supernatural element of Kafka's seminal work will be translated on-screen by way of Hemsworth's character transforming from a cockroach into a dreaded gangster.
Moreover, according to a report by Film Ink, 'Kockroach' was filmed in New South Wales with assistance from Screen NSW's Made in NSW Fund. Ahead of the production's start a month ago, the outlet reported that the entire filming process is expected to create 600 jobs and contribute approximately $37 million in revenue to the state. Apart from the aforementioned film fund, the production was also aided by the Australian Government's Location Offset. The assistance and cooperation extended to the film crew were reflected in Lazar's statement, "We could not be more excited to be shooting 'Kockroach' in Sydney. It's truly a world-class, film-friendly city in every respect: the film crews are incredible, locations vast and diverse, and our cast is looking forward to enjoying everything Sydney has to offer, including the excellent accommodation and food." Moreover, Egerton was recently seen in Netflix's survival thriller 'Apex', while Hemsworth appeared in the crime thriller 'Crime 101'.
