Developer Patel will star in Tarsem Singh Tennis Crime Thriller The Journeyman

Developer Patel will star in “The Journeyman,” a crime thriller directed by Tarsem Singh from a script by husband-wife duo Bryan and Alexis Roberts (aka The Roberts). Patel plays a down-on-his-luck tennis pro who gets sucked into the dark world of match fixing to make ends meet for his family.

AGC Studios will fully finance and produce the film in association with Academy Award nominee Scott Franklin, Patel’s Minor Realm and LBI Entertainment.

Joining Franklin as producers are Stuart Ford, chairman and CEO of AGC Studios, and Mason Eways for LBI Entertainment. Shamier Anderson and Stephan James will executive produce for Bay Mills.

AGC International represents the film’s international distribution rights and will introduce the film to buyers during the filming AFM next week; CAA Media Finance handles domestic affairs with AGC. Production will start next year.

“The Journeyman” is the story of a struggling professional tennis player who is lured into an illegal match-fixing ring to support his family and becomes trapped in a ruthless world of corruption and violence from which he may never escape.

Ford expressed his excitement about the team, saying, “The Roberts have written an educated, suspenseful, twist-filled crime thriller that is a perfect fit for a visionary filmmaker like Tarsem and a top producer of Scott’s caliber. Tarsem’s renowned visual flair and deep experience working with elite athletes also means he portrays a deeply authentic version of the professional tennis circuit that goes beyond what has previously been seen on the big screen. “I have wanted to work with Dev Patel for a long time and this is a phenomenal role for him to sink his teeth into.”

Franklin adds, “Before I ever produced my first film, I saw ‘The Fall’ in 2006 and Tarsem immediately became one of my favorite filmmakers. His latest film, ‘Dear Jassi’, is one of the best films I have seen in the last twenty years. After seeing Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ and his existing body of work, the thought of seeing these two come together and create magic on screen became a dream come true. Thanks to the support of partners like Stuart Ford and AGC, LBI, and my original partners on the project, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James at Bay Mills, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could never have imagined.”

Patel started his career in “Skins” (2007) before finding his breakthrough role in a BAFTA-nominated role in “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008). Patel’s performance in “Lion” (2016) earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and an Academy Award nomination for Supporting Actor. He subsequently starred in “Hotel Mumbai” (2018), “The Personal History of David Copperfield” (2019) and “The Green Knight” (2021). He made his directorial debut this year with the action film ‘Monkey Man’, in which he also starred and produced.

Singh started his career directing commercials for major international brands including Smirnoff, Coke, Nike, Levis and Pepsi. In 2000 he directed his first feature film, ‘The Cell’. His next feature film, “The Fall”, was released in the US in 2008. He has since directed “Immortals” (2011) starring Henry Cavill, “Mirror Mirror” (2012) with Julia Roberts and “Self/Less” (2015) with Ryan Reynolds. In 2016-2017 he directed a ten-part miniseries, ‘Emerald City’. In 2023, he directed his first feature film in Punjabi, ‘Dear Jassi’, which won the Platform Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Among the awards he has received are the Grand Prix and several Lions from Cannes and the BAFTA Britannia Award.

The Roberts is a writing duo consisting of Bryan and Alexis Roberts, who are making waves with their energetic, dark, gritty tone. They are known for exploring the gray areas of life and telling stories that confront the messy, complex realities of human nature.

Patel is represented by CAA, Curtis Brown, Sol22 and Jamie Feldman. Singh is repped by LBI Entertainment and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark. The Roberts are repped by LBI Entertainment and Cary Dobkin and Miles Metcoff at Yorn Levine. AGC EVP of legal and business affairs Anant Tamirisa represents AGC Studios on the project.