Paul Dano is having a week. One minute he’s just quietly being Hollywood’s favourite anxious genius, the next Quentin Tarantino is calling him a “weak actor” and lighting a fire under the internet. The upside to that? Everyone is suddenly talking about Paul Dano. And while the memes continue, the man himself just landed another high-profile project. He’s officially joining Florian Zeller’s new psychological thriller, Bunker.
Zeller, who grabbed an Oscar in 2021 for The Father and later released The Son in 2022, is now on his third round of emotionally bruising drama. The new film is already two weeks into shooting.
The lineup includes Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz leading the charge. Stephen Graham and Patrick Schwarzenegger are also in the mix.
Bunker focuses on a wealthy tech businessman whose mysterious underground project starts tearing at the seams of his family life. Secrets spill. Marriages shake. A bunker does not keep feelings out.
Zeller sounds pretty chuffed to have Dano on board, saying, “From Little Miss Sunshine to There Will Be Blood, Paul has consistently impressed me as an actor. He possesses an extraordinary singularity — something genuinely unique — and in that sense, he is truly irreplaceable.” It’s a strong rebuttal to certain directors yelling into microphones about “the worst f****** actor in SAG.” Good times.
This film was written specifically with Bardem and Cruz in mind. They’ve been married almost 17 years, just like the on-screen couple. There’s something fascinating about watching two professionals play out the fissures of a relationship while still going home to make dinner together.
Paul Dano is also starring in The Wizard of the Kremlin, playing a fictional Kremlin insider opposite Jude Law as Vladimir Putin. So yes, he’s booked and thriving. If Tarantino’s goal was to bury him, it backfired spectacularly.
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