Ana de Armas has signed on to play an ambitious fitness influencer whose carefully curated world falls apart in Sweat, the new film from British director J Blakeson (I Care a Lot).
De Armas will play Emma Kent, a fitness influencer who dreams of becoming a social media star like her idol, Kat Highbrook. But when an encounter with Kat goes horribly wrong, Emma is forced into a dangerous arrangement with Trent, an obsessive fan, whose unhinged devotion pushes Emma to choose how far she’s willing to go for fame.
Sweat is an English-language adaptation of Magnus von Horn‘s 2020 Polish feature of the same name, starring Magdalena Kolesnik, which premiered in Cannes in 2020.
Blakeson is set to begin production on the new film on March 30 in Los Angeles and the U.K.. Additional casting is currently underway.
AGC Studios has come on board to finance and co-produce the film and will handle international sales through AGC International. AGC, WME Independent, and CAA Media Finance will co-rep U.S. rights. AGC will kick off sales at Berlin‘s European Film Market next month.
Guy Stodel will produce Sweat through his Rosto Inc. banner, alongside Blakeson via his Crimple Beck shingle, and AGC’s Ford.
Cuban-born De Armas had her breakthrough role playing Marta Cabrera, the personal nurse to wealthy mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) in Rian Johnson’s original Knives Out (2019). She had a major supporting role in No Time to Die (2021), and The Grey Man (2022), and received an Oscar nomination for her controversial turn as Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s Blonde (2023). She recently starred in the John Wick spin-off Ballerina.
J Blakeson’s feature credits include the 2009 neo-noir The Disappearance Of Alice Creed, and alien invasion actioner The 5th Wave (2016). His 2020 Netflix drama I Care a Lot won Rosamund Pike a Golden Globe for best actress. Recently, Blakeson was showrunner and director of the 8-part crime thriller series Culprits for Hulu/Disney+.
Ana de Armas is repped by WME, Kuranda Management, Bailey Brand Management, Wolf Kasteler Public Relations and Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks; Blakeson is repped by WME, David Higham Associates and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. The deal was negotiated by Christopher Tricarico of Tricarico Chavez LLP for ROSTO Inc. and by Anant Tamirisa on behalf of AGC.
