When you hear that Jesse Eisenberg is starring in a movie, you have a particular conception of what that role will entail. A tight-lipped, mannered-yet-squirmish intellectual who might not be prone to politeness but will always get his point across, especially with his sharp, fast-talking, often verbose speaking pattern. He has played characters winsome (Zombieland) to outright villainous (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), along with some excellent performances in The Social Network, The Art of Self-Defense, The End of the Tour, and The Squid and the Whale, to name a mere few. But if the Oscar-nominated actor is to be believed, Eisenberg's next role will be quite a departure from what we've seen him do in the past. To be more specific, he is prepping to play a sasquatch in his next movie.
During an interview with Variety, where the actor-turned-filmmaker was promoting his feature directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World, which was recently screened at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Eisenberg revealed that he was eager to return to acting. While he enjoyed his time in the director's chair, he's not looking to stay in it exclusively, and he's already working on his next project, which will see him turning into Sasquatch.
"The next movie I'm doing is the Zellner Brothers'; they're just these brilliant directors that I've wanted to work with for a long time," the actor stated. David and Nathan Zellner are widely known for their work on Damsel, and Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, and though details are limited on the actual project itself, Eisenberg was more-than-happy to gush about the preparation process for this role:
I play a Sasquatch: full makeup, full body hair, no lines. I grunt, but no lines. [Laughs] I’m so looking forward to this.
As noted earlier, Eisenberg has conquered a certain type of role and this film sounds like a complete departure from that screen image. It's easy to see why he's so excited to take this dive into uncertain waters. It'll grant him the chance to play a part that most people would not have expected him to play, and it could allow the actor to expand his resume in new and exciting ways, especially as he launches into the next phase of his multi-hyphenate career.
Currently, the Zellners are prepping to make a sci-fi movie called Alpha Gang, which will star Jon Hamm, Sofia Boutella, Steven Yeun, Mackenzie Davis, and Nicholas Hoult. The movie follows a deadly race of aliens whose mission to conquer Earth gets thwarted by a rather pesky thing: human emotions. It's unclear if Eisenberg is expected to play Sasquatch in this upcoming film or in a completely different project from these two directors.
Along with this upcoming film, Eisenberg is hard at work on his next feature, A Real Pain, which he will write, direct, and also star in alongside Kieran Culkin. Eisenberg's sophomore film is said to follow two estranged cousins who travel to Poland following the death of their grandmother. The relatives want to see where they came from and end up joining a Holocaust tour. The film is expected to shoot in March 2023 in Warsaw, Poland. Additionally, Eisenberg will star in FX's upcoming mini-series, Fleishman Is In Trouble, which is based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner's 2019 novel of the same name, which is estimated to come out sometime next year. Furthermore, Eisenberg will star in Mandrome and The Medusa, both of which are expected to come out in the next year or two. Suffice it to say, Eisenberg is keeping himself plenty busy these days, and this newly-announced role suggests that he's not afraid to take some risks.
When You Finish Saving the World is expected to premiere sometime this year following its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Check out the trailer for Wild Indian, Eisenberg's last starring role, below: