Nearly two years after concluding his smash hit series “Succession," Jesse Armstrong is taking a stab at directing his first feature film — and he’ll be doing it in Utah.
Movie with Steve Carell is filming in Park City, Utah
Armstrong’s first project since “Succession,” the TV-MA-rated comedy-drama starring Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong, among others, is a film that “follows a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis,” Variety reported.
The film is currently untitled, and not much else has been revealed about the plot.
But Armstrong has picked his cast — including “The Office” star Steve Carell, Wes Anderson favorite Jason Schwartzman, comedian Ramy Youssef and Cory Michael Smith (“Wonderstruck,” “Saturday Night”), per Variety.
The production will have a fast turnaround. Filming begins this month in Park City, with a debut on HBO this spring, according to Variety.
“We’re ecstatic to be back in business with the singular talent Jesse Armstrong coming off our fruitful collaboration on ’Succession,‘” Francesca Orsi, the executive vice president of HBO programming and the head of HBO drama series and films, said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Jesse once again raises the bar with a bold examination of modern greed, power and male ambition. That this feature serves as his directorial debut will only elevate what is already thrilling on the page, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this timely film with the world soon.”
Armstrong will write, direct and executive produce the film, according to Deadline.
The Park City filming location is somewhat fitting given Armstrong’s film history.
Over the past 15 years, he’s been a writer for at least three films that played at the Sundance Film Festival. The most recent was 2020’s “Downhill,” which starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell.
Armstrong has seven Emmys — all for his work on “Succession,” per the Television Academy.
News of Armstrong’s film comes a few weeks after the Utah Film Commission announced that five movies received approval to shoot in Utah — including two Hallmark productions and a thriller from Academy Award-winning director Martin McDonagh, KSL News reported.