About a year and a half ago, writer Stephen Gaghan (best known for Traffic and Syriana), announced his intentions to direct a film titled Candy Store. It was an extremely hot project, with names like Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon and Christian Bale all flirting with it at one point or another. Now, it looks like casting is almost finalized as the previously rumored Robert De Niro and Omar Sy have been confirmed for their roles, with Keira Knightley and Matthias Schoenaerts joining them.
We had heard in the past that Jason Clarke and Christoph Waltz were on board as well, but the press release makes no mention of them. It does, however, give us a very detailed plot summary, which you can check out below:
Writer/director Stephen Gaghan weaves a slick and exciting web full of action, sex and intrigue with CANDY STORE. DAVIS (Robert DeNiro) is a veteran NYPD detective whose partner is kidnapped during a bust at a Brooklyn brothel run by CHIDDYBANG (Omar Sy). Meanwhile, BLACK ZEGNA, a former KGB officer turned ruthless gangster, hires CHERRY (Keira Knightley), one of the girls at the brothel, to seduce and incapacitate a major hedge fund manager. By chance, Cherry runs into SWANN, a former CIA operative who suffers from seizures related to his previous work as a spy. Swann bravely fights off the henchmen pursuing her and discovers that she is being used as a pawn in a plot to steal billions in gold. Through his efforts to protect Cherry, Swann inadvertently puts himself in Zegna’s crosshairs. After partnering up with Davis, Swann must overcome his personal demons to thwart the heist, meanwhile saving the woman he has fallen in love with from the wrath of her merciless employer.
Having really enjoyed some of the writer/director’s previous work (Syriana is a personal favorite of mine), I’m certainly intrigued by what Gaghan is cooking up here. It’s a shame that he couldn’t get some of the names that he was originally going for, but Knightley, Schoenaerts, De Niro and Sy still make up a pretty impressive line-up. The plot sounds like it’s right up Gaghan’s alley, too, presenting a complex crime thriller for him to play around with. It’s 2015 release might still be a ways away, but this is definitely one to keep your eye on.
Tell us, do you think Stephen Gaghan has another winner on his hands with Candy Store? Sound off below!
