No Time to Die director Cary Joji Fukunaga has finally found his next directorial project in the form of the crime thriller film titled 77 Blackout. This will be the Emmy-winning filmmaker’s first movie project in a long while, after previously directing Daniel Craig in his final James Bond movie in 2021.

Per Deadline, Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali are set to lead the cast of Fukunaga’s 77 Blackout movie, which takes place in New York City. This project reunites Ali with Fukunaga, after they first collaborated on the third season of HBO’s acclaimed crime drama True Detective, where the Jane Eyre director served as a producer. The film is likely inspired by a real-life event that happened in the city back in July 1977, where most parts of NYC were affected by a 25-hour-long electricity blackout. Because of this, some people resorted to looting, arson, and rioting.

77 Blackout will be directed by Fukunaga from a screenplay written by Frank John Hughes with revisions by Fukunaga. The film is being produced by Charles Roven, Madison Weireter, William Green and Aaron Ginsburg. The initial synopsis reads, "In 1977, five rogue police officers formulate a plan to rob three criminal strongholds – the Hong Kong Triads, the Italian Mafia, and the Harlem Mob – all in one night. When a blackout sweeps the city the night of the robbery, the crew is forced to navigate a hellish landscape as years of being overworked and underpaid forces each of them to confront their own morality."

Tom Hardy & Mahershala Ali’s Upcoming Superhero Projects

At the moment, both Hardy and Ali are currently attached to lead two different Marvel movies, with the British actor reprising his fan-favorite role as Eddie Brock/ Venom in the upcoming Venom: The Last Dance. Before the threequel’s theatrical debut on Oct. 25, 2024, fans have last seen Hardy’s Eddie and the titular symbiote during 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. In a previous interview, Ted Lasso star Juno Temple, who has joined the Venom 3 cast for an undisclosed role, praised Hardy for his dedication towards the project. "Tom is such a fan of Venom and the relationship between Eddie and Venom," she shared. "He's so excited about telling this story and is so thrilled to have other people be part of [that.] He feels like a kid on the first day at school. That's pretty good energy to start a job with as it's intimidating, but when you have Venom himself as excited and nervous as you are because you all care, it feels like, 'Ah, I'm in the right place!'"

As for Ali, his long-delayed Blade movie with Marvel Studios continues to be in development, after five years since his casting was first announced. Since then, the project has suffered several setbacks, including script changes, release date delays, and shifts within the creative team. Last December 2023, Ali shared an encouraging update regarding the MCU reboot, as he remains committed to the role. "We’re working on it. That’s the best I could tell you. I’m really encouraged with the direction of the project," Ali said. "I think we’ll be back at it relatively soon. I’m sincerely encouraged in terms of where things are at and who’s on board and who’s leading the way as far as the writing of the script and the directing and all that."

Source: Deadline