SM. Meryl Streep & Sigourney Weaver Lead NYC-Set Thriller ‘Useful Idiots’ From Fifth Season, Black Bear
The pic follows Diane Castle (Streep), a veteran journalist who covers the New York luxury property market. She’s disillusioned with writing puff pieces about the wealthy elite and regretful that she might not have lived up to her potential. When a record-breaking sale of a new penthouse hits her desk, Diane’s questions about the buyer’s identity lead to what could be the story of a lifetime. At its center is a mysterious oligarch whose influence stretches across Manhattan and beyond – protected by a network of fixers, enablers and a brilliant young strategist. Out of her depth, Diane digs deeper into the investigation, her determination to uncover the truth revealing a web of corruption and danger at the highest levels, ensnaring Diane, her family and all those around her.
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Cedar also co-wrote the script with 60 Minutes producer Shachar Bar-On. Fifth Season will finance and produce the pic with Closer Media’s Zhang Xin and Jonathan King (Spotlight, Roma), Oscar winner Bruce Cohen (Silver Linings Playbook, American Beauty) and William Horberg. Graham Taylor, Christopher Slager, and Dan Guando will executive produce for Fifth Season. Black Bear — marking with the Sydney Sweeney boxing pic — will introduce the project to international buyers at AFM, and CAA Media Finance will handle the U.S. rights.
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It’s the first major film role for three-time Oscar winner Streep since she played the U.S. president in Adam McKay’s 2021 satire Don’t Look Up. She recurs on Hulu comedy Only Murders in the Building and is filming The Devil Wears Prada 2. She is represented by CAA and Gendler Kelly & Cunningham.
Three-time Oscar nominee Weaver stars in James Cameron’s Avatar films, including the December release Avatar: Fire and Ash. She also has fronted the Alien franchise and appeared in Ghostbusters films, among dozens of other credits. Repped by UTA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer, she received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
Cedar has received two Academy Award nominations for Best International Feature Film (Beaufort, Footnote) and recently directed the HBO miniseries Our Boys. He is represented by CAA, Kneller Artists Agency and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein + Selz.
