Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder to reunite for new project
When Emma Stone finds a creative partner she enjoys working with, the actor often develops a habit of working with them on multiple projects, and it would appear Nathan Fielder is poised to join Ryan Gosling and Yorgos Lanthimos among her most prolific recurring collaborators.
The duo recently co-starred and executive produced the satirical black comedy series The Curse as a newly-married couple fronting a home renovation show with hilarious and regularly problematic results. Having made magic together on the small screen, the pair are now eying a reunion in cinema.
Hailing from author Ben Mezrich, who penned the books that became The Social Network and Dumb Money, Checkmate hasn’t even been published yet, but has already been the subject of a heated bidding war among many Hollywood power players that saw A24 emerge victorious.
The true story details what’s been called the biggest scandal in the world of chess, with Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann at the centre. The former dropped out of a tournament after losing to the latter, which was interpreted by many as an overt accusation of his younger rival having cheated.
They played again shortly after and Carlsen quit after one move, giving rise to the most talked-about chess scandal in history. Checkmate will use the incident as a backdrop to dig deeper into how chess became a billion-dollar industry, and the differences in approach between established veterans and the younger crop of players.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Fielder is attached to the production as its director, while Stone will produce alongside husband and business partner Dave McCary. There’s no word on whether either of them are planning to appear in an on-camera capacity, but it’s reasonable to assume that’s something A24 would be pushing for.
After all, the company trumped many rival studios and streamers by making a guaranteed seven-figure offer to secure the deal, with a 30-minute deadline being set to speed up the process. It’s a bold and buzzy move from A24, and a drama ripped from the headlines set in the relatively mysterious world of top-level chess is nothing if not an intriguing proposition, especially with Fielder and Stone on board.
Checkmate is still only in its very earliest stages so it could be a while before the pieces start coming together, but having the stars of The Curse back together in any capacity is reason enough to be excited for their reunion.
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