After a lengthy hiatus, Israeli director Joseph Cedar is making a major return with a new American film starring Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver, Deadline reported over the weekend.
The film, a thriller titled Useful Idiots, is set in New York. Streep, an Academy Award winner, will play the lead role of Diane Castle, a real estate journalist disillusioned with covering the city’s wealthy elite. When she investigates the identity of a mysterious buyer of a luxury Manhattan penthouse, the story takes an unexpected turn, leading her to a shadowy oligarch and a high-stakes corruption scandal. As the scoop unfolds, it grows increasingly dangerous — both professionally and personally. Weaver will also appear in the film in a supporting role, though details of her character have not yet been revealed.
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Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver
(Photo: John Locher/Invision/AP, Millie Turner/Invision/AP)
Cedar, long regarded as one of Israel’s top filmmakers, is known internationally for Beaufort and Footnote, both of which were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. He previously worked in the U.S. on the 2016 political dramedy Norman, starring Richard Gere, Michael Sheen and Steve Buscemi, which followed a Jewish fixer who raises funds for an Israeli politician — only to be cast aside when things go south. Since Norman, Cedar has contributed to several television projects, including HBO’s controversial 2019 series Our Boys, but Useful Idiots will mark his first feature film in nearly a decade.
The screenplay was co-written by Cedar and Shachar Bar-On, an Israeli producer for CBS’s 60 Minutes. The film is backed by American production companies Fifth Season and Black Bear, led by Teddy Schwarzman. Black Bear also produced the buzzy boxing drama Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney. The company was also involved in the documentary October 8 about antisemitism on college campuses, and it recently launched the dark comedy Tuner, directed by Daniel Roher and starring Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall. Israeli actor Lior Raz also appears in Tuner, playing the head of a brash New York crime gang. Behind the scenes, the Israeli connection at Black Bear continues to grow stronger.