Dev Patel stars in Tarsem Singh's tennis crime thriller The Journeyman

Dev Patel will star in The Journeyman, a crime thriller directed by Tarsem Singh from a screenplay by husband-wife duo Bryan and Alexis Roberts (aka The Roberts). Patel plays a down-on-his-luck tennis pro who gets drawn into the dark world of match-fixing to make ends meet for his family.

AGC Studios will fully finance and produce the film, alongside Oscar nominee Scott Franklin, Patel's Minor Realm and LBI Entertainment.

Joining Franklin as producers are AGC Studios Chairman and CEO Stuart Ford and Mason Eways for LBI Entertainment. Shamier Anderson and Stephan James will serve as executive producers for Bay Mills.

AGC Intl. represents the film's international distribution rights and will introduce the film to buyers at AFM next week; CAA Media Finance handles domestic transactions with AGC. Production is scheduled to begin next year.

“The Journeyman” is the story of a struggling professional tennis player who is lured into an illegal match-fixing ring to support his family and finds himself in a ruthless world of corruption and violence that he may never escape.

Ford expressed his excitement about the team, saying, “The Roberts have written a learned, suspenseful, twist-filled crime thriller that is a perfect fit for a visionary filmmaker like Tarsem and a top producer of Scott's caliber.” Tarsem's renowned visual flair and extensive experience Working with elite athletes also allows him to portray a viscerally authentic version of the professional tennis circuit that goes beyond what has previously been seen on the big screen. I have wanted to work with Dev Patel for a long time and this is a phenomenal role for him to get into.”

Franklin adds: “Before I even produced my first film, I saw 'The Fall' in 2006 and Tarsem immediately became one of my favorite filmmakers. His latest film “Dear Jassi” is one of the best films I have seen in the last 20 years. After watching Dev Patel's Monkey Man and his existing body of work, the thought of having the chance to see these two come together and create magic on screen became a dream come true. The support of partners like Stuart Ford and AGC, LBI and my original project partners, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James of Bay Mills, makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could never have imagined.”

Patel began his career in Skins (2007) before breaking through with the BAFTA-nominated role in Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Patel's performance in Lion (2016) earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor. He then starred in “Hotel Mumbai” (2018), “The Personal History of David Copperfield” (2019) and “The Green Knight” (2021). He made his directorial debut this year with the action film “Monkey Man,” in which he also starred and produced.

Singh began his career directing commercials for major international brands such as Smirnoff, Coke, Nike, Levis and Pepsi. In 2000 he made his first feature film “The Cell”. His next feature film, The Fall, was released in the United States in 2008. He has since directed Immortals (2011) with Henry Cavill, Mirror Mirror (2012) with Julia Roberts and Self/Less. (2015) starring Ryan Reynolds. In 2016-17, he directed the ten-part miniseries “Emerald City.” In 2023, he directed his first feature film in Punjabi, Dear Jassi, which won the Platform Award at the Toronto Film Festival. Awards he has received include the Grand Prix and several Cannes Lions, as well as the BAFTA Britannia Award.

The Roberts are a writing duo consisting of Bryan and Alexis Roberts who are turning heads with their energetic, dark, gritty tone. Known for exploring the gray areas of life, they tell stories that grapple with the messy, complex realities of human nature.

Patel is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown, Sol22 and Jamie Feldman. Singh is repped by LBI Entertainment and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark. The Roberts are repped by LBI Entertainment and Cary Dobkin and Miles Metcoff at Yorn Levine. Anant Tamirisa, EVP of Legal and Business Affairs at AGC, is representing AGC Studios on the project.