American Animals director Bart Layton is assembling a new Hollywood dream team as Halle Berry joins Chris Hemsworth for the filmmaker’s upcoming thriller Crime 101. Berry, also known as the Master of Dog Fu (watch John Wick 3 – Parabellum), is fresh off her buddy comedy with Mark Wahlberg, The Union, while her latest horror film, Never Let Go, is lighting up silver screens this month. The Amazon MGM Studios project takes inspiration from Don Winslow‘s short story Crime 101, with Layton planning to release the film in theaters next year.
While plot details remain mysterious, Deadline says Crime 101 contains Heat-like elements. According to the synopsis for Winslow’s novella, the story focuses on a string of high-level jewel heists up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. The crimes have gone unsolved for years, mainly because the perpetrator has lived by a strict code he calls “Crime 101”. Police attribute the thefts to the Colombian cartels. But Detective Lou Lubesnick’s gut says it’s the work of just one man. Now the lone-wolf jewel thief is looking for that fabled final last score, and Lou breaks all the rules of “Crime 101”.
In addition to helming the movie, Layton wrote the script with contributions from Peter Straughhan. Initially, Pedro Pascal landed the role now occupied by Hemsworth, but Pascal dropped the project due to scheduling conflicts. Hemsworth produces alongside his starring role with his producing partner Ben Grayson.
Halle Berry is completing one project after the next following her action-packed performance in 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. In 2020, she played the disgraced MMA fighter Jackie Justice in Bruised, a film she also directed. She followed Bruised with Roland Emmerich’s latest disasterpiece Moonfall, then boarded The Union and Never Let Go. In Never Let Go, directed by Alexandre Aja, Berry plays a mother whose family has been haunted by an evil spirit for years. Their safety and surroundings come into question when one of the children questions if the evil is real.
We’re excited to witness Halle Berry’s on-screen chemistry with Chris Hemsworth for the heist thriller Crime 101. How about you? In the comments section below, let us know if you’re interested in this movie.