S. Craig Zahler’s Next Feature, ‘The Bookie & the Bruiser,’ to Star Vince Vaughn and Adrien Brody

Acclaimed auteur S. Craig Zahler is set to reunite with his “Brawl in Cell Block 99” and “Dragged Across Concrete” star Vince Vaughn and Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody for the next feature film, a crime thriller titled “The Bookie & the Bruiser.

Zahler is renowned as a film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, novelist, comic book artist, animator, and musician. The multi-skilled Zahler made his directorial debut with “Bone Tomahawk” (2015). He followed this up with “Brawl in Cell Block 99” (2017) and “Dragged Across Concrete” (2018). His work is often associated with horror and thriller genres.

What can be expected from  S. Craig Zahler’s upcoming project?

Craig Zahler behind the camera, the upcoming crime thriller “The Bookie & the Bruiser,” is:

“set in 1959 New York City and features a pensive, Jewish fellow named Rivner and an oversized Italian-American tough named Boscolo from the Lower East Side, both of whom served overseas in World War II and returned changed men who no longer fit inside the lives they’d left behind.  Uninterested in taking orders from bosses or playing by the rules of polite society, the two friends partner up as a bookmaker and an enforcer and create an illicit gambling operation that proves to be very profitable, though risky, and their situation gets rather sticky when they find themselves stuck between a powerful Irish gang and the Mafia.”

Anton will introduce the film to international distributors at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes. UTA Independent Film Group and Range Media Partners arranged the financing and will be representing the North American distribution rights. Anthony Katagas will produce the film via his Keep Your Head Productions alongside Dave Caplan. Katagas won an Academy Award for Best Picture for his role in producing 12 Years a Slave. He is one of the most prolific producers in U.S. indie film having worked across titles including Lost City of Z, Ad Astra, Uncut Gems, and Armageddon Time. C2 Motion Picture Group is fully financing the project.

Anton, CEO of Sébastien Raybaud, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to be working with the visionary S. Craig Zahler on this action-packed tale of a searing conflict between the Irish-American and Italian Mafias in New York and see Vince and Adrien team up in this very unique power charged film.”

Meanwhile, Caplan also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work on the project. He said, “I’m honored and humbled to be working with one of my favorite filmmakers. A S. Craig Zahler’s gangster movie is something I’m dying to watch!”

The film is currently in pre-production and is planned for a fall 2024 shoot.