John Krasinski And Natalie Portman To Star In Guy Ritchie’s Next Film ‘Fountain Of Youth’ For Apple And Skydance

EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of The Family Plan last month , Apple Original Films And Skydance are teaming again on another tentpole as Deadline is hearing John Krasinki and Natalie Portman are set to star in Fountain of the Youth with Guy Ritchie directing. Skydance Media will serve as the studio, and the film will be produced for Apple by Skydance, Vinson Films and Project X Entertainment.

Related Stories News Natalie Portman On The Moral Complexity Of ‘May December’: “Can You Depict A Crime Without Somehow Endorsing It Or Glamorizing It?” News Guy Ritchie Pic ‘The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ Sets Spring Release With Lionsgate Written by James Vanderbilt, the film follows two estranged siblings who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth .

They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives…and possibly lead to immortality. Hailing from a first look partnership between Apple and Skydance Media, Fountain of Youth will be produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger.

Tripp Vinson will produce through his Vinson Films as will Project X Entertainment with Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Paul Neinstein producing for the company. Ritchie & Ivan Atkinson and Jake Myers are also producing with Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella) serving as executive producers.

The film has been a high priority for Skydance after getting a script from Vanderbilt that according to sources “blew execs away” but the studio needed the right package of talent before they moved forward with it. Ritchie, who has been as busy as any director in town, had been eyeing the project since the spring with Krasinski also circling it around the same time but the dual strikes forced things to be put on pause.

Once both strikes were settled, both gave their commitments and the delay also opened the door for Portman to land the other lead with her schedule opening up at the top of 2024. The plan is to shoot in first quarter of 2024. The news comes a month after Apple and Skydance’s The Family Plan starring Mark Wahlberg became the biggest film to premiere on Apple TV+.

The partnership has a strong slate ahead with some high profile titles including the high action, genre bending film The Gorge starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor Joy; and, recently announced action adventure film Mayday with Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh set to star in the lead roles. Krasinski is in post production on IF for Paramount, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred.

The film will release theatrically in May 2024 and features an impressive cast including Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming, Phoebe Waller Bridge, Fiona Shaw, Lou Gossett Jr, and Steve Carell. The trailer recently dropped to high praise and Paramount is positioning as one of their big pics of 2024. His directing took off after directing, writing and starring in the Oscar nominated 2019 thriller A Quiet Place, one of the surprise hits of the year leading to its 2021 sequel A Quiet Place: Part II.

On the acting side, he recently wrapped his hit series Jack Ryan, which aired its final season last summer on Prime Video. For Portman this marks a reunion for her and Apple as she and her producing partner Sophie Mas recently inked a first look TV deal with Apple TV+ for their production company MounatainA.

Through this deal, they are producing the Apple Original limited series Lady In The Lake , which will be Natalie’s TV acting debut. MountainA also produced the Golden Globes and Film Independent Spirit Awards nominated dark comedy May December from director Todd Haynes where Portman stars opposite Julianna Moore.

For this role, She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress Musical or Comedy and a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance. In May 2023, MountainA produced the docuseries Angel City through MAX. Ritchie has been as busy as any director over the last year started with his critically acclaimed Afghan war thriller The Covenant starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which bowed last April.

He also able to shoot not one but two films in 2023, the World War II action pic The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare starring Henry Cavill and an untitled heist thriller reuniting him with Gyllenhaal and Cavill, which they shot with a SAG AFTRA interim agreement in the fall. Project X and Radio Silence had another big year on the Scream franchise front as Scream IV, which they produced, became the biggest film in the franchises history at the box office.

Portman is represented by CAA and Attorney George Sheanshang, Krasinski is represented by WME and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham, Ritchie is represented by WME and Vanderbilt is represented by WME. Radio Silence is repped by UTA..