Michael B. Jordan, director and star of The Thomas Crown Affair, introduced a first look at the film as Amazon MGM announced that Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and eight-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste is composing the score.
In a nice touch, Batiste opened the studio’s CinemaCon presentation with a live piano performance of The Windmills of Your Mind, the Academy Award-winning song from the original 1968 film.
Jordan was joined on stage by co-star Adria Arjona, who plays an insurance investigator smart enough to go toe to toe with the debonair art thief.
The reimaging of the film, set for a March 5, 2027 release, also stars Kenneth Branagh, Lily Gladstone, Danai Gurira, Pilou Asbæk and Aiysha Hart.
‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ composer Jon Batiste performs onstage during CinemaCon on Wednesday
David Becker/Getty Images for CinemaCon
The previous movie focused on a rich playboy who steals art. In the 1968 Steve McQueen original that co-starred Faye Dunaway, he’s matching his wits against an insurance investigator, while in the 1999 Pierce Brosnan version, the protag meets his match in a detective played by Rene Russo.
Plot details on Jordan’s version are under wraps but in footage unveiled today centered on a cat and mouse between the two leads as they fall for each other against a backdrop of august museums, slick cities and European castles. Jordan is up and down wires, sailing through they sky. He said he wanted to put his own spin on this version — “the style, the rebellion, but giving him a real mission. So I needed somebody who could keep him on his toes. An actress who can portray strength and vulnerability. She understands his game but falls in love with him.”
His mission in the film is personal. “Revenge is a work of art,” is one catchphrase. Kevin Branagh is the target.
Drew Pearce and Jason Hall wrote the screenplay based on a story by Alan R. Trustman, writer of the original 1968 film starring Steve McQueen. Jason Hall, Alan R. Trustman, and H.H. Cooper executive produce.
Produced by Outlier Society’s Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo, Toberoff Productions’ Marc Toberoff, Patrick McCormick, and Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven.
Batiste is renowned for his genre-defying approach to music and his commitment to inclusivity and cultural exploration. His latest studio album, Big Money won the Grammy for Best Americana Album.
