Taylor Sheridan casts Oscar-winning actress as female lead in upcoming black ops thriller ‘F.A.S.T.’
Taylor Sheridan has made a name for himself with classic Western dramas that have taken the TV world by storm. After delivering the ruthless 'Special Ops: Lioness' starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman, Sheridan is bringing his patriotic universe to the big screen with 'F.A.S.T.' The action thriller has already cast 1923 breakout star Brandon Sklenar and just revealed its female lead. After turning heads as Jess Jordan in HBO’s acclaimed 'Succession,' Juliana Canfield has been cast in a dynamic black ops thriller. The Warner Bros.-backed film is set to hit theaters on April 23, 2027.
As per Deadline, Canfield, the two-time SAG Award winner and Tony-nominated actress, has shown a lot of potential before being chosen for this lead role. She’s been praised for standout performances in Ryan Murphy’s 'American Horror Story,' the FX series 'Y: The Last Man,' and Peacock’s 'The Calling.' Canfield made her acting debut opposite rising star Julia Garner and Michael Stuhlbarg in Kitty Green’s #MeToo drama 'The Assistant' and won over critics with her stunning portrayal as an eccentric individual in Marshall Curry’s Oscar-winning short film 'The Neighbors’ Window.' Canfield, who is a Yale MFA grad, is represented by Brookside Artist Management and CAA.
Director Ben Richardson is teaming up with Sklenar again to create a nail-biting narrative about a special forces commando who is on a black ops mission, waging war against CIA-operated drug dealers. Apparently, Sheridan had Chris Pratt in mind while writing the script, and the A-lister was almost finalized for the main lead, but things were shelved at the last minute. F.A.S.T. has been around in the news since 2018, as per Movie Web. Gavin O'Connor was expected to direct the thriller, but it didn't work out. That is when 'It Ends With Us' fame Sklenar was scouted for the role because Warner Bros wanted a young talent on board. Initially, the film ran into a $70-80 million budget because of Pratt's expected star power.
However, fans seem to have a different opinion about Sklenar: "This Sklenar fella is one of the most boring actors that’s being heavily pushed by the Hollywood machine. I get absolutely nothing whenever I see him on screen," a Reddit user remarked under the film's discussion thread. "I’ve seen this trajectory before. The machine’s about to launch him into the stratosphere whether we want him or not. I haven’t seen 1923, btw, but he leaves me with nothing whenever I do see him. He just has “that” look that pretty much guarantees you’ll get 10 shots/flops before Hollywood caves and says, “okay, we’re giving up," a fan criticized. "I’m not sure how you can say a guy that’s in 1 show and like 4 movies, all with a budget of like 20 mil or less, is being "pushed by the Hollywood machine," an online user reasoned. Sheridan must have something in mind after casting two powerhouse actors for his flick. Only time will tell if they have done justice to their roles.
