Karen Gillan, perhaps best known to audiences for her work in theDoctor Who,Guardians of the GalaxyandJumanjifranchises, has joined the cast of the crime thrillerSleeping Dogs.
Based onE.O. Chirovici’s 2017 novelThe Book of Mirrors,Sleeping Dogswill star Academy Award winnerRussell Crowe(Gladiator,The Nice Guys) as former homicide detective Roy Freeman. While undergoing “cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment,” Freeman is forced to re-open an investigation into the brutal murder of a college professor (Marton Csokas,The Lord of the Rings,The Last Duel). Gillan will play “a magnetic and mysterious woman” who sheds new light on the mystery at hand, leading Freeman “to face a horrific reality that changes his world forever in the blink of an eye.”
In addition to Crowe, Gillan, and Csokas,Sleeping Dogswill starHarry Greenwood(The Nightingale,Pieces of Her) andThomas M. Wright(Everest,Barkskins). The writing duo ofAdam CooperandBill Collage(Assassins Creed,Exodus: Gods and Kings)adapted the novel while Cooper, making his directorial debut, will helm the film. It will be produced byMark Fasano(American Ultra,Haunt),Pouya Shabazian(Shadow and Bone,American Honey), andDeborah Glover(A Perfect Pairing,Five Bedrooms). Production is scheduled to commence this month in Australia. The movie is currently being shopped to potential distributors at EFM (the European Film Market) in Berlin.
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In addition to reprising her role as ‘Nebula’ in the Marvel Studios’Thor: Love and ThunderandThe Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, 2022 saw Gillan star in the dark comedyDual, oppositeBreaking Bad’sAaron Paul; the showbiz satireThe Bubble, from directorJudd Apatow; and the sci-fi dramaNext Exit. She’ll play Nebula once again inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is slated for release on May 5. She also stars in the upcoming comedic dramaLate Bloomers, which will make its debut at South by Southwest next month.
Crowe, incidentally, also appeared inThor: Love and Thunderlast year, in the role of Zeus. He can currently be seen in the thrillerPoker Face(not to be confused with the new hit show starringNatasha Lyonne), which he also directed and co-wrote. The Australian actor has a myriad of projects in various states of production, including Sony’s Spider-Man adjacentKraven the Hunter,oppositeAaron Taylor-Johnson(BulletTrain,Tenet) in the title role, and the horror filmThe Pope’s Exorcist, from directorJulius Avery(Overlord,Samaritan).
Stay tuned to Collider for more information onSleeping Dogs. In the meantime, check out Collider’s interview with Gillan below:
