Josh Hartnett Takes on Challenge Playing Serial Killer in 'Trap'

Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
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Josh Hartnett Takes on Challenge Playing Serial Killer in 'Trap'

Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs
Josh Hartnett attends the red carpet at the 'Trap' premiere in New York City, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Josh Hartnett says his role as a shrewd serial killer in filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's new movie "Trap" marks a departure for him as an actor.
"It's unlike anything else I've played," Hartnett, who has starred in films such as "Black Hawk Down", "Lucky Number Slevin", "Pearl Harbor" and "The Virgin Suicides", said at the London premiere of "Trap" on Monday.
"Honestly, taking on this character wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Night, because if you're going to take on something this wild and this out there, you need somebody who you really trust behind the camera," Reuters quoted the American actor as saying.
"And another thing is, I just always like a challenge."
In "Trap" Hartnett plays Cooper, who takes his teenage daughter to a pop concert that turns out to be an elaborate police entrapment operation set up to catch a serial killer - who turns out to be Cooper. The psychological thriller was written, directed and produced by Shyamalan, who is known for his unique plot twists.
"I try to create something really hyper original in the marketplace so I can compete," said Shyamalan, whose credits include "The Sixth Sense", "Signs" and "Split".
That originality means the work "sticks with you. The idea here was like a concert and a thriller together."
Getting into the mindset of the character involved reading about psychopathy and sociopathy and long discussions with Shyamalan about the tone they wanted the character and the movie to take, Hartnett said.
The result was another career high point, said Hartnett, 46, who started acting in the late 1990s and whose recent work includes roles in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Guy Ritchie's "Wrath of Man" as well as parts in TV series "Black Mirror" and "The Bear".
"Trap" is out in cinemas globally in August.



New Spielberg, Nolan Films Teased at CinemaCon

US actress Scarlett Johansson presents the film 'Jurassic World Rebirth' onstage during CinemaCon. VALERIE MACON / AFP
US actress Scarlett Johansson presents the film 'Jurassic World Rebirth' onstage during CinemaCon. VALERIE MACON / AFP
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New Spielberg, Nolan Films Teased at CinemaCon

US actress Scarlett Johansson presents the film 'Jurassic World Rebirth' onstage during CinemaCon. VALERIE MACON / AFP
US actress Scarlett Johansson presents the film 'Jurassic World Rebirth' onstage during CinemaCon. VALERIE MACON / AFP

Hollywood studio Universal Pictures on Wednesday teased new movies from Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, while showcasing footage from its upcoming sequels "Jurassic World Rebirth" and "Wicked: For Good" at the CinemaCon event.

Spielberg "is currently shooting a film that promises to be a return to form, in the spirit of his monumental classics," said Universal executive Jim Orr, at the movie theater industry summit in Las Vegas.

The untitled film, out June 2026, is widely rumored to be a blockbuster sci-fi. Orr promised it would contain "a propulsive, modern, out-of-this-world twist," without sharing further details.

Meanwhile, Nolan is in the Mediterranean shooting his star-studded version of "The Odyssey," based on the millennia-old Ancient Greek epic saga written by Homer.

It is due July 2026, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya and Anne Hathaway, AFP said.

In a prediction bold even by the standards of Hollywood marketing, Orr suggested the film "will be a once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would, quite frankly, be very proud of."

The comments came at CinemaCon, an annual week-long summit at which Hollywood studios present their biggest upcoming movies to theater owners and press.

A theme of this year's event has been a drive to get studios to commit to keeping new movies in US theaters for at least 45 days before they appear on streaming.

A source with knowledge of the talks told AFP Wednesday that three of Hollywood's six biggest studios have committed.

Universal, which has in recent years brought many of its films to on-demand streaming very soon after they debut in theaters, has not yet agreed to the new 45-day "window," the source said. The studio did not immediately comment.

But its efforts to court movie theater owners Wednesday included showing extended new footage and A-list stars from the next Jurassic movie -- out this July.

It comes from the writer of the original 1993 "Jurassic Park." The action returns to that film's island setting.

Unlike the "Jurassic World" films where dinosaurs freely roamed the globe, the fearsome reptiles are now once again scarce, surviving in a few remote spots.

Star Scarlett Johansson said the film would "put the scares back into Jurassic" by keeping the dinosaurs hidden and ratcheting up the suspense.

Universal's presentation ended with surprise appearances from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, whose second and final "Wicked" film will hit theaters November.

CinemaCon concludes Thursday with presentations from Paramount and Disney.