Alexandra Daddario Officially Joins Breaking Bad-Like Crime Thriller Based On A True Story
A marriage tested by crime
The film follows Stephen Trantel after he loses his job as a Wall Street commodities trader and turns to bank robbery. Kitsch plays Stephen, while Daddario portrays Jeanne, who grows suspicious of her husband and wants a different kind of life.
Walken plays Stephen’s father, a retired police officer guided by a strict moral code. The story has echoes of Breaking Bad, pairing a man’s hidden criminal success with a wife who recognizes what is happening and a family member with a law-enforcement background.
From book to screen
Matthew Gentile is directing and co-wrote the screenplay with Bianca Vera. The movie draws on the nonfiction book 'Til Heist Does Us Apart, by Jeanne Callahan and Michael Harvey, about Trantel’s real-life story.
Gentile said he first learned about the case while growing up in New York City and described the film as both a heist story and a look at grief, survival, and marriage. Danielle Gasher, VanEast Pictures’ founder and CEO and a film producer, said the project combines a true-crime script, a director, and an ensemble cast.
Production and cast credentials
Filming is scheduled to begin this month in New Jersey. VanEast Pictures has acquired worldwide sales rights and plans to present the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market.
Gentile previously directed the 2022 film American Murderer, his directorial debut. Kitsch, known for Friday Night Lights and The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, is also an executive producer on The Long Island Bank Robber.
Key points
- Daddario plays Jeanne Trantel, whose suspicions about her husband grow.
- Taylor Kitsch stars as Stephen Trantel, a former commodities trader turned bank robber.
- Christopher Walken portrays Stephen’s father, a retired police officer.
- Filming begins this month in New Jersey; VanEast Pictures holds worldwide sales rights.