Following up his intense second feature Beanpole, we’ve been waiting to see if Kantemir Balagov’s follow-up would finally come to fruition. After years of development, things are finally moving forward with his English-language debut Butterfly Jam as two stars have become attached.
Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough are in talks to lead the project, Deadline reports. Here’s the synopsis: “Set against the backdrop of New Jersey’s Circassian community, the drama revolves around a teenager whose father and aunt run a struggling diner specializing in Circassian cuisine. When he’s not helping out in the restaurant, the boy is training to become a professional wrestler. After one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong, the boy is forced to take on board his father’s failings as he finds himself confronted with a violence that will force him to grow up faster than he would like.”
For more from Balagov, read our interview with the director from 2019. Meanwhile, Keoghan was recently seen in The Banshees of Inisherin-inspired Super Bowl spot for Squarespace.