Oscar Isaac to star in Paul Schrader's The Card Counter
Story by Jack Foley
OSCAR Isaac is to star in revenge thriller The Card Counter for writer-director Paul Schrader.
Based on an original screenplay by the Raging Bull and Taxi Driver veteran, The Card Counter will see Isaac play William Tell, a gambler and former serviceman who sets out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy from their past.
The younger man, named Cirk, is described as a vulnerable and angry person who is seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk.
Hence, after gaining financial backing from a mysterious gambling financier La Linda, Tell takes Cirk on a road trip with him, heading from casino to casino until the unlikely trio set their sights on winning the World Series of poker in Las Vegas.
However, it isn’t long before Tell finds himself being dragged back into the darkness of his past.
Schrader will also direct the film, while Braxton Pope (The Take, The Trust), who previously worked with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker on The Canyons, is producing.
The film also reunites Schrader with cinematographer Alexander Dynan and editor Benjamin Rodriguez Jr., who all worked together on the critically-acclaimed and Oscar nominated First Reformed.
Principal photography is scheduled to begin early next year (2020).
Isaac will shortly be seen reprising his role in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. His other career highlights include The Two Faces of January, Ex_Machina, A Most Violent Year and Inside Llewyn Davis.