Kodi Smit-McPhee, Djimon Hounsou to Star in ‘The Zealot,’ WestEnd Launching Vadim Perelman Thriller in Cannes (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comAlex Ritman Oscar nominees Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog, “Maria”) and Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond,” “A Quiet Place Part II”) are set to star in claustrophobic thriller “The Zealot.” The two-hander, being introduced to buyers in Cannes by WestEnd Films, comes from director Vadim Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog,” “Persian Lessons”) working from a screenplay by Bennett Fisher, and touches on themes involving privilege, paranoia, and the assumptions we make about one another. “The Zealot” follows Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver in Minneapolis, who is struggling to make ends meet.
When Lloyd, a stranded twentysomething at the airport, offers to pay Hassan to take him overland to Chicago, it seems worth the risk.
But as the realization grows that his passenger is not what he seems, Hassan finds he is trapped in a terrifying ride which he can’t escape from, knowing that to save himself might put countless others in danger.
Jib Polhemus (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “The Mechanic”) produces alongside Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo (“The Green Hornet and Kato,” “Wild Mountain Thyme”) of Amasia Entertainment.
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