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Are erotic thrillers making a comeback? In a bidding war, A24 Studios acquired an unreleased screenplay by the very young Dylan Brady, an actor known for his roles in the series
Andor and The Diplomat. Titled Discretion (but with a different name), the film could star Nicole Kidman.
A new erotic thriller produced by A24
The news comes from Deadline: Dylan Brady , virtually unknown until recently, has seen his screenplay propelled into the spotlight. His script became the focus of a bidding war between film studios, television networks, and streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon, Apple, FX, and Peacock. Ultimately, A24 won the bid with a lightning-fast 24-hour offer worth seven figures, as confirmed by several sources to Deadline. This strategy, according to the media outlet, has become A24’s trademark. The studio reportedly acquired Harrison Query‘s screenplay, Trigger Point, initially casting Australian actor Joel Edgerton in the lead role and American director Jeremy Saulnier, before putting the project back on the market, triggering a bidding war that Netflix ultimately won.
Currently titled Discretion, this film, written by Dylan Brady, is expected to change its name soon due to its similarity to a series already produced by A24, which also stars Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. This series will air on Paramount+ in the United States.
Behind the scenes in Hollywood
What does Dylan Brady‘s first feature film have in store for us? Its synopsis, as he revealed to Deadline in November 2025, is said to be inspired by a friend’s story. She reportedly worked as a live-in caregiver for an influential couple before becoming entangled in their personal lives. Drawing inspiration from films like Fatal Attraction, Eyes Wide Shut, and Sunset Boulevard, Brady‘s screenplay shifts the plot to the heart of the Hollywood Hills. Jacob, a young actor desperately seeking a career in the film industry, is beginning to lose hope until he crosses paths with a powerful producer. She hires him, not to act in one of her films, but to take care of her son. Thus, Jacob is thrust into the heart of one of Hollywood’s most powerful families, as the producer’s husband is a famous actor. Skilled in the art of seduction, Jacob uses his charm to exploit his employers’ connections in the industry he so desperately wants to join. A dangerous game that soon reveals itself as a trap with a fatal outcome…
While the plot may evoke Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s Theorem (in which a young man insinuates himself into a bourgeois family, sleeping with each of its members), this intuition is confirmed by referring to Dylan Brady‘s words in an interview with Deadline last November: “Historically, erotic thrillers have always been very heterosexual, and the married couple is at the center of the story,” he stated. “This bond must be preserved at all costs from the clutches of a femme fatale who threatens this unity. I wondered what it would look like in 2025. What if the troublemaker was the hero, and there was something rotten in the marriage? I wanted to break with the conventions and bring a queer perspective.” According to the same source, the film is expected to undergo creative adjustments throughout its development. Dylan Brady, meanwhile, is working on a self-produced short film, Anon, shot with a camera mounted in his hometown of Derby.
