It looks like there won’t be any rest for Jason Bateman anytime soon. After wrapping production on Ozark, Bateman is moving on to star in another project for Netflix alongside Kingsman's Taron Egerton. The actor has been tapped to star in the action thriller titled Carry On. This film will be a part of Amblin Entertainment’s production deal with Netflix that emerged in June of 2021.
According to the log line provided by Deadline, Carry On is about a young TSA agent named Ethan Kopek who is blackmailed by a mysterious traveler into letting a dangerous package slip through security onto a flight on Christmas Day. Bateman is rumored to be playing the mysterious traveler, but nothing concrete has been announced.
The film will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, with TJ Fixman penning the first draft of the script and Michael Green polishing for a final draft. Jaume Collet-Serra is the director behind The Shallows, and more recently the upcoming DC movie Black Adam. Fixman is the writer behind the animated feature Ratchet and Clank starring Sylvester Stallone, and Michael Green has been incredibly successful composing screenplays for Logan and Blade Runner 2049, among other projects. War for the Planet of the Apes producer Dylan Clark is also attached to produce on the project, along with Brian Williams, Scott Greenberg, and Seth William Meier attached as executive producers.
Jason Bateman has received many accolades for his performance on Netflix’s Ozark, including an Emmy win in 2019. Bateman has been nominated again for two Emmys this year for both acting and directing on the series. Previously, he starred in Arrested Development, which was picked up by Netflix from Fox in 2013 for two final seasons. Given Bateman’s clearly positive experience working with Netflix, it's no wonder he would want to work with the streaming service again. Signing Bateman on to another project is also a positive move for Netflix. The streaming service has been losing subscribers, and Ozark fans may stick with the service if Bateman is still involved in projects. Carry On could just be what Netflix needs.
Bateman has been busy on many other projects outside of his relationship with Netflix. The Horrible Bosses star recently wrapped production on an untitled film about Nike, and the company's relationship with basketball legend Michael Jordan in the 1990s. Bateman will be starring alongside Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and the film is being made for Amazon. The release date is still TBA, but we probably shouldn’t expect to see the film until late 2023.
Bateman was also originally tapped to direct the Ryan Reynolds led Clue remake, but said he had to give up the job due to scheduling conflicting with Ozark. However, with Ozark wrapping last year, there could be room for Bateman to return to the film.
Carry On will be available exclusively for Netflix subscribers in the near future. In the meantime, check out our feature on some of the other best Netflix shows to binge alongside Ozark.
