Elizabeth Olsen is joining Julia Roberts in Warner Bros.‘ thriller feature Panic Carefully.
Sam Esmail is set to direct from his own script, with the studio landing the package in February following a bidding war and committing to a theatrical release. Esmail will produce with Chad Hamilton for Email Corp., alongside Roberts, Scott Stuber, Marisa Yeres Gill and Lisa Gillan.
Panic Carefully is described as a paranoid thriller reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs and Esmail’s Emmy-winning USA Network series Mr. Robot. Kevin McCormick and Chrystal Li will oversee it for Warner Bros.
Esmail’s most recent feature was the 2023 Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind, in which Roberts starred alongside Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la. Coming up, Esmail is producing A24’s thriller movie Famous, in which Zac Efron and Phoebe Dynevor are starring for director Jody Hill. He was also an executive producer on Starz’s Watergate-focused series Gaslit, which debuted in 2022 and featured Roberts as Martha Mitchell.
Olsen starred earlier this year in the Netflix drama His Three Daughters and plays the lead in director Fleur Fortuné’s sci-fi thriller The Assessment, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. She is set to voice her Marvel Cinematic Universe character Scarlet Witch in Disney+’s forthcoming animated series Marvel Zombies.
Roberts’ recent credits including starring in Ticket to Paradise alongside George Clooney. Earlier this year, she filmed a starring role opposite Andrew Garfield in Luca Guadagnino’s thriller After the Hunt.
Deadline was first to report the news of Olsen joining Panic Carefully.