Ana de Armas has signed on to portray an ambitious fitness influencer, whose carefully crafted world unravels in "Sweat," the latest film from British director J Blakeson ("I Care a Lot"). De Armas will take on the role of Emma Kent, a fitness influencer with dreams of becoming a social media superstar like her idol, Kat Highbrook. However, when an encounter with Kat goes awry, Emma is thrust into a perilous alliance with Trent, an obsessive fan whose fanatical devotion forces Emma to ponder how far she's willing to go for fame.
"Sweat" is an English-language adaptation of Magnus von Horn's 2020 Polish feature of the same name, starring Magdalena Kolesnik, which premiered at Cannes in 2020. Blakeson is set to commence production on the new film on March 30 in Los Angeles and the U.K., with additional casting currently underway.
AGC Studios has joined the project to finance and co-produce the film and will handle international sales through AGC International. AGC, WME Independent, and CAA Media Finance will co-represent U.S. rights, with AGC kicking off sales at Berlin's European Film Market next month.
Guy Stodel will produce "Sweat" through his Rosto Inc. banner alongside Blakeson via his Crimple Beck shingle and AGC's Ford.
Cuban-born De Armas made her breakthrough playing Marta Cabrera, the personal nurse to wealthy mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) in Rian Johnson's "Knives Out" (2019). She had a major supporting role in "No Time to Die" (2021) and "The Grey Man" (2022), and received an Oscar nomination for her controversial portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik's "Blonde" (2023). She recently starred in the "John Wick" spinoff "Ballerina."
J Blakeson's feature credits include the 2009 neo-noir "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" and the alien invasion actioner "The 5th Wave" (2016). His 2020 Netflix drama "I Care a Lot" won Rosamund Pike a Golden Globe for best actress. Recently, Blakeson served as showrunner and director for the eight-part crime thriller series "Culprits" for Hulu/Disney+.
Ana de Armas is represented by WME, Kuranda Management, Bailey Brand Management, Wolf Kasteler Public Relations, and Grubman Shire; Blakeson is represented by WME, David Higham Associates, and Goodman Genow. The deal was negotiated by Christopher Tricarico of Tricarico Chavez LLP for ROSTO Inc. and by Anant Tamirisa on behalf of AGC.
