Jude Law is in negotiations to join Scarlett Johansson and Jacob Elordi in Scapegoat, the next film from writer-director Ari Aster. A24, which has released each of Aster’s previous four films, will distribute, with Aster producing alongside Lars Knudsen through their Square Peg banner.
Plot details for Scapegoat are being kept tightly under wraps, and insiders say there’s genuine disagreement even among those close to the project about what it actually is. Some have speculated it centers on a doctor who operates on an internet-famous person, while others have described it as a sci-fi romance, and some believe it’s a more traditional drama for Aster.
One report has suggested a more specific version of that first theory, describing a surgeon whose career comes under public scrutiny after a social media influencer dies during a routine operation, with the influencer’s grieving widow and brother searching for answers as public outrage grows. A premise that, if accurate, would position the film as a spiritual continuation of the social-media-era themes Aster explored in Eddington.
Scapegoat will mark Aster’s fifth feature film, and all five have landed at A24. He began his feature career with 2018’s Hereditary, an instant horror classic that grossed roughly $90 million, before following it with the Florence Pugh-led Midsommar. He then shifted into two collaborations with Joaquin Phoenix, the surreal odyssey Beau Is Afraid and the divisive political drama Eddington, which premiered at Cannes in 2025.
Aster reportedly had Johansson in mind from the start to lead the project, with Deadline previously reporting that she agreed to join despite a packed schedule after reading the script. Elordi, meanwhile, is coming off one of the strongest stretches of any actor working today, following his Oscar-nominated performance in Frankenstein with a starring role in Warner Bros.’ Wuthering Heights opposite Margot Robbie.
According to Deadline, Aster had only one actor in mind for Elordi’s part, and Elordi took his time before committing, choosing Scapegoat as his first project after a grueling nine-month Frankenstein shoot. He is also said to be one of the finalists currently in contention to play James Bond.
Law brings his own strong recent run to the project, having most recently starred in the Star Wars series The Skeleton Crew and the Emmy-nominated Netflix limited series Black Rabbit, in addition to playing Russian president Vladimir Putin in The Wizard of the Kremlin.
He is next set to appear in Apple’s limited series Wild Things, playing Las Vegas performer Siegfried opposite Andrew Garfield, and has also recently wrapped production on a new film from Nancy Meyers. Earlier in his career, Law played a young Albus Dumbledore across two Fantastic Beasts films. He is represented by CAA, Julian Belfrage Associates and Jackoway Austen.
Behind the camera, cinematographer Darius Khondji, whose most recent credit was Marty Supreme, is expected to return to shoot the film, continuing his collaboration with Aster. Production is currently eyeing a November start, suggesting the film is unlikely to reach audiences before 2027.
With Aster once again drawing major stars to an original, tightly guarded project, and a cast now bringing together three Oscar-nominated actors in Johansson, Elordi and Law, Scapegoat is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched follow-ups of any filmmaker currently working at A24, even as almost nothing about its actual story has been confirmed.