Fresh off a triumphant Oscar win, Michael B. Jordan hit CinemaCon to showcase his latest directorial effort: a slick remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair.â€
The annual convention of movie theater owners got a sneak peek at Jordan's project — the third big-screen take on the story of a billionaire whose idle hands lead him to orchestrate major art thefts. The 1968 original starred Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo launched a remake in 1999.
Distributor Amazon MGM Studios cold opened their CinemaCon presentation with the trailer, showcasing Jordan in all his glossy leading man glory. As the titular billionaire, Jordan faces off against former FBI agent Adria Arjona — hunting him heist by heist in search of the truth. While the two play cat and mouse, an insidious supervillain in Kenneth Branagh looms overhead, threatening to take Jordan down. The trailer played through the roof, which you can partly attribute to perfect timing — Jordan hasn't been seen since his incredible best actor win for “Sinners.â€
In between glistening, shirtless crunches and sexy dalliances, Crown's motives become clearer. He wants to retrieve precious artifacts misappropriated, stolen or sold over the centuries from their rightful creators — not the 1% monsters who buy and trade history and human lives.
“I didn't want a reboot. I wanted a reimagination. The first two films were about rich white guys stealing for fun. That doesn't land today,†Jordan told Variety in November. “Ours is more personal. The stakes are higher. Still got the fashion, romance.â€
Drew Pearce wrote the script from a previous draft by Wes Tooke and Justin Britt-Gibson, which was based on the 1968 original film starring Steve McQueen. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo are producing the picture for Outlier Society, alongside Charles Roven via Atlas Entertainment. Patrick McCormick and Toberoff Productions' Marc Toberoff are also producing. Alan Trustman, writer of the first film, is an executive producer.
