Oscar Isaac will become the latest Hollywood actor to try and win over the poker community when he stars in The Card Counter.
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Oscar Isaac will attempt to tell a story and win over the poker community with his latest role in The Card Counter. (Image: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)
As revealed exclusively by Variety.com, the Guatemalan-American actor will assume the guise of William Tell.
Dubbed a “revenge thriller,” the movie focuses on Tell’s efforts to reform a young man hellbent on revenge. According to Variety, the protagonist is a poker player with a history of success as a road gambler.
The Card Counter to Tackle Poker
As the story develops, Tell and the young man (Cirk) embark on a journey across the US. Financed by a mysterious backer known as La Linda, Tell eventually sets his sights on the World Series of Poker.
However, with Cirk struggling to get over his aspirations for revenge, things soon go awry.
Oscar-nominee Paul Schrader will direct The Card Counter with help from producers Braxton Pope and Lauren Mann.
HanWay Films has acquired the international sales rights and will aim to sell the rights at the forthcoming American Film Market.
From the synopsis, The Card Counter appears to be using poker as a vehicle to tell a bigger story. That’s a marked departure from certain poker movies of the past.
Although the game has an inherent drama, it doesn’t always lend itself to big screen ventures.
More Like Rounders, Less Like Lucky You
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Rounders (see video above) broke the mold but follow ups such as Lucky You and Gutshot Straight didn’t fare as well at the box office or in the eyes of the critics.
The Card Counter will be using poker more as a motif in the same guise as Molly’s Game. Whether that proves successful remains to seen but the team being assembled is certainly a capable one.
Isaac recently starred in the Netflix thriller Triple Frontier and his talents will be on display when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits movie theatres in December.
As yet, there is no release date for The Card Counter. However, with poker an integral part of the storyline, the community will be eagerly awaiting further updates.
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