Hudson Williams has joined Tyrant as David Weil began production on the Amazon MGM culinary thriller in Los Angeles, adding four new cast members to a film built around one of the city’s most closely watched shoots this year. Paapa Essiedu, Omar Apollo and Nara Smith also joined the project, which is being led by Charlize Theron, Julia Garner and Demi Moore.
Weil is directing from his own script, based on a story he conceived with Cody Behan. The film is being produced by The Picture Company partners Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona, along with Theron and her Secret Menu partners Beth Kono and A.J. Dix. Weil is also producing with Natalie Laine Williams, while Stan Wlodkowski serves as executive producer.
Character details are being kept under wraps, but Tyrant has been described as a high-stakes thriller in the vein of Wall Street and Whiplash, set inside New York City’s elite fine dining scene. That setting gives the project a sharp commercial hook, even as the plot remains tightly guarded.
The new additions arrive with their own momentum. Williams is one of the breakout stars of HBO Max and Crave’s Heated Rivalry and is currently in production on Apparatus, with Netflix’s The Altruists and Crave’s Yaga next up. Essiedu is due to appear as Severus Snape in HBO’s Harry Potter series on Christmas Day, after an Olivier Award win and Emmy and BAFTA nominations for I May Destroy You. Apollo brings a music profile that includes a Grammy nomination for his debut album Ivory, a Billboard Hot 100 entry with Evergreen and a screen role opposite Daniel Craig in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. Smith is known as a model and lifestyle creator for her serene, ASMR-style cooking videos.
For now, Tyrant is still more outline than reveal. But with production underway in Los Angeles and a cast that cuts across film, television, music and digital culture, the movie has already signaled the kind of attention that comes with a project designed to play in a crowded studio field.