Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal to Lead ‘Materialists’

‘Past Lives’ Oscar nominee Celine Song is behind the new romantic comedy, which will see a high-end matchmaker get involved with a wealthy man in New York.

(Left) Dakota Johnson from Columbia Pictures’ 'Madame Web' at the Baile da Vogue, Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro Brazil. Photo: Leca Novo. (Center) Pedro Pascal at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Francis Specker/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Chris Evans as Brenner in 'Pain Hustlers.' Cr. Brian Douglas/Netflix © 2023.

Preview:

Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans are starring in ‘Materialists’.
This is the new movie from ‘Past Lives’ director Celine Song.
It’ll be a New York-set rom-com.

It’s fair to say that with ‘Past Lives’, Korean writer/director Celine Song has announced herself as a new cinematic voice.

Her romantic drama feature debut, which stars Greta Lee, Teo Woo and John Magaro, first garnered attention at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, where its quietly powerful story of old friends and potential lovers reconnecting hit a chord.

It has since gone on to win numerous awards and dominate critics’ Best Of lists for the year and is in the running for two Oscars –– Original Screenplay and Best Picture.

You can imagine, then, that big-name talent would be beating down the down to work with her, and for the director’s next film, ‘Materialists’, she’s scored quite the potential cast in Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, who are all in talks to star.

Materialists

Not Yet Rated

Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, a high-end matchmaker gets involved with a wealthy man but still harbors feelings for the broke actor-waiter she... Read the Plot

What’s the story of ‘Materialists’?

Here’s the official synopsis for the new movie:

“Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, a city that never sleeps and is known for its diverse and dynamic relationships, ‘Materialists’ provides a unique glimpse into the lives of the city’s elite. Lucy’s expertise in matchmaking is highly sought after by those willing to pay a premium for her services. However, with a broke actor-waiter in her romantic past and a new attachment to a wealthy man, all signs point to a toxic love triangle that threatens to unravel the lives of all involved.”

According to the director, the new movie is inspired by the sort of spiky romantic comedies such as ‘Broadcast News’ that James L. Brooks specializes in, which makes us even more eager to see what Song could do with a film like this.

Who is backing Song’s new movie?

(L to R) Greta Lee and Teo Yoo in 'Past Lives.' Photo: A24.

The new movie reteams the director with distributors A24 and with producers Killer Films, both of which shepherded ‘Past Lives’ to screens.

Here’s what producer Christine Vachon had to say about Song:

“It feels like she makes a different movie every time, that she’s going to be the kind of a filmmaker who doesn’t make the same movie twice.”

The plan is to start shooting the new movie in May, which makes us think Song is looking to have it ready for the 2025 edition of Sundance.

What’s next for the cast?

Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) in Columbia Pictures’ 'Madame Web.'

Johnson has ‘Madame Web’ set to open in theaters next week, while Pascal has several films including ‘Drive-Away Dolls’, ‘The Uninvited’ and ‘Freaky Tales’ due this year alongside Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ sequel. He’s also back at work shooting Season 2 of hit HBO series ‘The Last of Us’.

As for Evans, he’ll next be seen opposite Dwayne Johnson in holiday adventure movie ‘Red One’ due to be released on November 15th.