Jude Law Reportedly Joins Ari Aster’s ‘Scapegoat’ Cast, and the Mystery Keeps Growing

Ari Aster has never been a filmmaker who makes things easy for audiences or for the people trying to predict him. ‘Hereditary’ announced him as a horror voice to watch, grossing roughly $90 million, and he followed it with ‘Midsommar,’ ‘Beau Is Afraid’ and ‘Eddington.’ Every one of those movies landed at A24, and ‘Scapegoat‘ is set to be his fifth.

The film has been wrapped in secrecy from the start. Aster wrote the original screenplay, will direct, and will produce with Lars Knudsen through their Square Peg banner. Officially, plot details remain under wraps, though speculation has ranged from a medical thriller to a sci-fi romance to a more traditional drama.

The newest name comes courtesy of Deadline, which reported exclusively on Wednesday that Jude Law is in negotiations to co-star opposite Scarlett Johansson in the A24 thriller. That means the deal is not yet confirmed, even though social media has already framed it as done. Law joins a cast that also includes Jacob Elordi, who was reported to be in talks back in August.

Law has had a busy stretch of his own, with ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ and the Emmy-nominated Netflix limited series ‘Black Rabbit’ both arriving in the past 12 months. Adding him to the mix gives Aster three headline names for a film that still has no official synopsis.

Johansson was reportedly Aster’s first choice for the lead, and Deadline has said he spent the second half of last year writing the script with her in mind. Elordi’s casting followed a similar logic. Deadline reported that Aster had only him in mind for his part, and that the actor took his time choosing his next project after a grueling nine-month shoot on ‘Frankenstein’ that earned him his first Oscar nomination.

Elordi has had a strong run since then. ‘Wuthering Heights’ grossed over $240 million worldwide, and he wrapped ‘Euphoria’ this spring. His next release, Ridley Scott’s ‘The Dog Stars,’ arrives Aug. 28.

Here is where the rumors get juicy. Nexus Point News reported in June that Johansson would play a surgeon who operates on a Jake Paul-inspired character, who dies during the procedure. The story would then follow the fallout as the surgeon faces scrutiny, primarily from the deceased’s wife and brother, who are reportedly modeled on real-life figures as well.

None of that has been confirmed by A24 or Aster, and Deadline’s own reporting says insiders still see no consensus on the film’s details. It does fit the pattern, though. ‘Eddington’ took aim at a very modern kind of chaos, and Aster has previously mentioned a possible spiritual sequel to it, per Production List. A social-media-era drama about public outrage would be a natural next step.

The schedule appears to be coming together. A casting grid cited by World of Reel suggested production will begin in Atlanta in November, with Darius Khondji returning as cinematographer. Aster himself said at an American Cinematheque Q&A in June that he would be shooting something in November, which The Playlist tied to this project.

Johansson’s calendar has shaped all of it. She recently wrapped Mike Flanagan’s ‘The Exorcist’ and is shooting ‘The Batman: Part II,’ so ‘Scapegoat’ was slotted around those commitments. No release date has been announced, though the timeline points to a 2027 arrival at the earliest.

A24 films rarely lack ambition, but few come with this much curiosity attached. Aster’s audience has learned to expect the unexpected, and casting a group like Johansson, Elordi and Law suggests he is aiming for a heavyweight ensemble piece rather than a pure genre exercise. The mystery around the plot only adds to the anticipation.

If the deal closes, ‘Scapegoat’ will pair three of the most in-demand actors working today with one of the most divisive and fascinating directors in American film.

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