Channing Tatum will headline Kockroach, a feature adaptation of William Lashner’s novel written under the pen name Tyler Knox, with Oscar Isaac and Zazie Beetz set to co-star. Matt Ross will direct from a screenplay by Jonathan Ames, with revisions by Ross. The project is produced by Andrew Lazar for Mad Chance, with Black Bear handling international sales and CAA Media Finance and Range Select co-representing U.S. rights; the package will be introduced to buyers at next week’s Toronto market. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in January in Australia.
The story is pitched as a New York crime drama about a mysterious outsider who rises through the city’s underworld, echoing the book’s high-concept hook: instead of a man waking as an insect, a cockroach wakes up human in mid-1950s Times Square and learns to survive by climbing the criminal ladder. Readers of the novel will recognize the character who takes the name Jerry Blatta, a nod to the insect’s scientific family name, and the narrative’s blend of pulp, noir, and satirical bite as the protagonist moves from enforcer to kingpin and beyond.
Behind the camera, Ross returns to features after Captain Fantastic and brings a résumé that includes prominent television work, while Ames’ script extends a line of literary-to-screen credits associated with his fiction. Packaging the film for a fall sales debut signals a bid to lock distribution before cameras roll, a path often used by star-driven crime titles seeking a global launch plan. The producers have not announced roles for the three leads or a release date, but positioning the title at the 50th edition of Toronto’s marketplace and setting a firm start window suggests momentum on financing and scheduling.
