By George & Josh Bate
Amazon MGM Studios’ presentation kicked off with an unexpected bang in the form of Michael B. Jordan’s The Thomas Crown Affair.
Jon Baptiste treated the crowd with an incredible performance, after which he was announced as the composer of the film.
Jordan, a recent Academy Award winner for his role in Sinners, is directing, producing, starring in, and (according to co-star Adria Arjona) even writing some of the remake of the iconic heist movie.
A world exclusive trailer for the film was presented to the CinemaCon crowd and previewed a movie that looks sleek, sexy, sophisticated, and superb. The tension, action, cinematography, and score all feel like they’re straight out of a Christopher Nolan movie. Jordan has definitely drawn inspiration from films like Tenet in crafting this film.
The footage showed plenty of steamy sexual tension between Jordan and Arjona’s characters. For those unfamiliar with the story, Jordan will play Thomas Crown, a billionaire who undertakes a daring art heist. Arjona will play an insurance investigator who begins to fall in love with Crown.
Kenneth Branagh features in the trailer as the film’s menacing villain. The tagline “Revenge is an Art” and dialogue from Jordan suggests that Crown is targeting Branagh’s character in a pursuit of vengeance.
The trailer concludes with a brilliant, Nolan-esque moment of an immaculately dressed Jordan using a rope to sprint up the exterior of a building. As he makes his way from the wall of the building to the roof, the camera re-orients and he leaps up, giving way to the film’s logo.
Michael B. Jordan was at CinemaCon to discuss his upcoming film. Jordan spoke about his fascination with The Thomas Crown Affair ever since seeing the Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo movie when he was 12 years old, stating, “I’ve been daydreaming about making this movie for years.”
His love for the film led him to discover Steve McQueen’s original, which imbued him with a newfound appreciation for the story and its characters.
Michael B. Jordan then welcomed co-star Adria Arjona on stage as “the newest addition to the DC family.” This is confirmation of recent trade reports that Arjona has been cast in James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow as Maxima (although rumblings suggest she may be playing a certain iconic character known for wielding a lasso of truth).
Arjona spoke fondly on working with Jordan and gave him immense credit for overseeing every aspect of production. She joked about wearing a black suit, just like Jordan did, as being reflective of her character in the film always being one step ahead of her counterpart.
Jordan explained why he chose to cast Arjona in the role. He wanted someone who could go toe-to-toe with Crown but also believably seem like she is slowly falling in love with him.
The Thomas Crown Affair is in theaters March 5, 2027.