RIZ AHMED RISES
Sound Of Metal + Oscar Runner
Riz Ahmed is a British actor who has been developing an increasingly wide-ranging body of work since his breakout role to American audiences in Nightcrawler. But Ahmed had been collecting great roles in a slew of mid-2000s indies (including The Road to Guantanamo and Four Lions). Since then, he’s gone onto projects ranging from Star Wars (Rogue One) to prestige HBO miniseries. In fact, his leading performance in the HBO miniseries The Night Of led him to become the first Asian male to win an acting Emmy (in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie). He just picked up his second Golden Globe nomination for the leading role of Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal. Here’s a look at some of his upcoming projects.
Exit West
This film is being produced by the Obamas for Netflix. The plot follows a couple in an unnamed city who discover a series of magical doors during the midst of a Civil War. It is based on the 2017 novel by Mohsin Hamid, the New York Times Best Selling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist (which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize). Ahmed also had a role in the 2013 film version of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Although the film rights had once been optioned by Joe and Anthony Russo (better known as the Marvel directing duo “The Russo Brothers”), as of now, the film will be helmed by the French-Algerian director Yann Demange. Best known to America for directing an Episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country, Demange directed the BAFTA-winning drama ’71 and a slew of Secret Diary of A Call Girl episodes.
Invasion
Another sci-fi project on the horizon for Ahmed, this film is set to have Octavia Spencer as well.
Coming from the rising British writer/director Michael Pearce, the plot follows a pair of brothers who journey alongside their father during an extraterrestrial threat. This project is also in pre-production. According to Deadline, it is set to film in the United States this year.
Hamlet
He is set to star in this upcoming adaptation of the Bard’s tragedy of the Prince of Denmark. There is no other publicly available information except that it will be updated and set in modern-day London. According to Variety, the project is for Netflix.
Every generation gets its Hamlet, so let’s give Ahmed a turn.
