A24 just won a major bidding war over this erotic thriller and Nicole Kidman might star in it
On February 9, Deadline exclusively reported that a special script by the British actor-writer Dylan Brady had sparked a massive bidding war between Netflix, Apple, FX, Amazon, Peacock, and others. In the end, A24 signed a seven-figure deal to acquire rights for the script and is in talks with Oscar winner Nicole Kidman, among other A-listers, to play the lead role in the series. Initially titled 'Discretion', the untitled erotic thriller tells the story of a struggling actor, Jacob, who starts working as a nanny for a top-notch producer and her movie-star husband, with the intention of seducing them to advance his career prospects. But, he soon discovers that he is in far more trouble than he had bargained for.
In November 2025, Brady told Deadline that the idea for the story came from his friend's real experience working for a high-powered couple. The project takes inspiration from classics like 'Fatal Attraction,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' and 'Eyes Wide Shut' but adds a queer spin on the conventional narrative. “Erotic thrillers have historically always been very heterosexual, and it’s the marital unit that is the hero that has to be preserved at all costs from an evil slut, who threatens that unity. I thought about what this looks like in 2025. What if the slut is the hero and there is something rotten in the marriage? I wanted to break form and put a queer lens on it,” Brady explained.
The young 20-something actor was mentored by director Andrew Haigh, well-known for his acclaimed film 'All of Us Strangers,' through the BFI Flare x BAFTA Cohort scheme. His most prominent acting role was in the soap opera 'Coronation Street' from 2020 to 2021. He has also had recurring roles in shows like 'Andor,' 'The Diplomat,' 'The A List,' 'Tell Me Everything,' and 'Ralph & Katie'. As a writer, his only credit so far is an episode of Netflix's comedy drama 'Everything Now' in 2023. In addition to the A24 project, Brady is busy with the BBC adaptation of Charlotte Vassell’s murder mystery, 'The Other Half' with Kudos and is also short film 'Anon' starring Con O’Neill. The film is entirely funded by Brady and is shot on a dash cam around his home city of Derby.
Brady's spec ranked second on The Brit List 2025 (the British and Irish equivalent of The Black List) comprising the top unproduced film and television scripts that was released in early November 2025. Furthermore, it is one of at least 10 projects currently being developed in the erotic thriller genre. Among others are Netflix's 'Hancock Park' with Regé-Jean Page, Peacock's 'Teach Me' with Mandy Moore, 'Night Float' with Nina Dobrev, and Netflix's 'Dangerous Liaisons' with creator Nicôle Lecky.
If Kidman joins the project, it will mark her second collaboration with A24, after 2024's erotic thriller 'Babygirl' opposite Harris Dickinson. The 58-year-old actress received the Volpi Cup award for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival, with the movie earning more than $50 million in box office collections.
