EXCLUSIVE: While the sequel to Godzilla Minus One doesn’t bow till next month, Takashi Yamazaki is getting the wheels in motion for his first major studio pic, Grandgear, as he has found his cast to lead that movie. Sources tell Deadline that Sam Nivola and Nico Parker are set to join the pic with Paul Giamatti in talks to also board the film. Yamazaki is directing from an original screenplay he penned. Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams is producing along with Glen Zipper.
Plot is under wraps. Production is expected to start in 2027.
While Giamatti was also high for role he is in talks for, the search for the two most prominent parts in the film was a thorough search that ultimately led to a round of chem tests that landed Nivola and Parker the covetted parts.
Nivola received critical acclaim for his performance in The White Lotus and was nominated for an Actor Award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy/Drama Series.” He is upcoming in Hulu’s series Phony, opposite Connie Britton. His film credits include White Noise and Maestro. He is repped by UTA, Narrative, and Sloane Offer.
Parker won the “Breakthrough Performance” Award at Sundance for starring in Searchlight’s Suncoast opposite Woody Harrelson and Laura Linney, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Supporting Actress for her performance in the acclaimed HBO series, The Last of Us opposite Pedro Pascal. She plays the female lead in the live-action film How to Train Your Dragon. She is repped by WME and Curtis Brown Group.
Giamatti can be seen next in the A24 dramedy The Debut, which made its world premiere at this years Telluride Film Festival. His scene stealing performance in the film is already gaining a lot of attention this award season with him expected to be in contention all season. He is repped by UTA, Kipperman Management, and Sloane, Offer.
Yamazaki is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor, counted as one of Japan’s leading film directors. Yamazaki wrote, directed and led the visual effects team responsible for the groundbreaking global hit Godzilla Minus One for which he is the first director since Stanley Kubrick to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. His follow-up, Godzilla Minus Zero, recently premiered at the New York Film Festival to wide acclaim.