In 2000, actor Jared Leto and director Darren Aronofsky collaborated together for the first time on Requiem for a Dream, the psychological drama exploring how four characters’ drug addictions take a toll on their physical and emotional health. Requiem for a Dream was a huge boost for Leto and Aronofsky’s careers, and they spent the next two decades traveling down separate professional paths. Now those paths are converging, as it’s been announced that they’re re-teaming a new movie called Adrift.
Based on a short story by Koji Suzuki (who also wrote Ring, the inspiration for The Ring franchise), Adrift centers on a fishing boat in the middle of the open sea that comes upon an abandoned yacht emitting a strange distress call. One of the fishing boat’s deckhands agrees to take control of the yacht as it’s towed into port, but he soon learns why the other crew members refer to it as a “ghost ship.” In addition to starring under Darren Aronofsky’s direction, Jared Leto is also producing Adrift alongside Emma Ludbrook through the actor’s Paradox production company. Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum and Carla Hacken are also attached as producers.
According to Deadline, after learning about Adrift, Jared Leto and Emma Ludbrook spent 10 years chasing down the rights to the short story, and once they’d accomplished that goal, they brought it to Darren Aronofsky and Jason Blum. While the Adrift film adaptation is expected to snag a buyer soon, it’s important to note that this will not be Aronofsky’s next movie. That honor already belongs to A24’s The Whale starring Brendan Fraser, but presumably Adrift will follow directly after.
Also starring Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans and Christopher McDonald, Requiem for a Dream was Darren Aronofsky’s follow-up to his directorial debut, 1998’s Pi, while Jared Leto’s prior film credits included The Thin Red Line, Fight Club and American Psycho a few months prior. While Requiem for a Dream was only a moderate box office success (making $7.4 million worldwide off a $4.5 million budget), it was met with a lot of positive critical reception and netted Burstyn Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
Adrift now gets added to the growing lineup of Oscar winner Jared Leto’s upcoming projects. He’s already set to star in Ridley Scott’s Gucci, as well as lead and co-produce the third Tron movie, which is supposedly titled Tron: Ares. Leto is also keeping a firm foothold in the comic book movie realm not only by starring in Morbius (which is now arriving in early 2022), but also reprising The Joker for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. As for Darren Aronofsky, in addition to directing The Whale, he’s also a producer on the upcoming movies The Good Nurse and XOXO.
As we wait for more news about Adrift’s development, you can see Jared Leto next in The Little Things, the Warner Bros thriller that arrives in theaters and on HBO Max tomorrow, January 29. Darren Aronofsky’s last movie, mother!, is available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. If you’re curious what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2021 release schedule.
