One of those Netflix movies that seemingly appears out of nowhere, hidden from the world until the streaming service decides to release pictures or the trailer, the first look at crime thriller ‘Reptile’ is now available.
‘Reptile’ boasts a starrier cast than other examples, with the likes of Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Silverstone among the ensembles. And it’s one of those reliable murder mystery genre pieces that usually tend to end up in the streaming sphere these days –– though in this case, Netflix is going the limited theatrical run route before the title ends up on the company’s servers.
Does this signal that Netflix thinks this could be an awards player? It’s possible, though probably more likely that it’s the company further testing the waters of competing for theatrical business. It is, however, scoring a splashy launch at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.
What’s the story of ‘Reptile’?
Benicio del Toro as Tom Nichols in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Kyle Kaplan/Netflix © 2023.
Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective (Del Toro) attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.
He and his colleagues must whittle down a list of potential suspects, including those close to the victim and one random wildcard who shows up with his own story.
Who else is in ‘Reptile’?
(L to R) Benicio Del Toro as Tom Nichols and Alicia Silverstone as Judy Nichols in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Daniel McFadden/Netflix ©2023.
‘Reptile’s cast also includes, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi,Frances Fisher, Ato Essandoh, Michael Carmen Pitt, Karl Glusman and Matilda Lutz.
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Del Toro on ‘Reptile’
Benicio Del Toro as Tom Nichols in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Netflix ©2023.
Directed by Grant Singer (who makes his feature directorial debut after working for years in the music video sphere), it has one unusual quality –– it marks the first time that Del Toro has a screenplay credit on a movie he’s appearing in. He wrote alongside the director and Benjamin Brewer.
Interviewed for Netflix’s TUDUM blog, the actor/writer explains:
“The collaboration was a lot of fun. Once we knew where we needed the story to land, then the question becomes, ‘How do we get there? How do we make it interesting?’ We did research and tried to make it as real as possible. We talked about movies and storytelling with certain films as references. One that comes to mind is ‘In Cold Blood’”.
And how does Del Toro describe his character, Detective Tom Nichols?
“He’s a man of destiny. He’s a man who gets a second chance, but then something happens, and a reckoning occurs.”
Timberlake talks ‘Reptile’
Justin Timberlake as Will Grady in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Netflix ©2023.
Justin Timberlake plays Will, the partner of the victim, who ends up on the suspect list following her death.
Timberlake told TUDUM what compelled him to jump aboard the movie:
“I wanted to get to the end as quickly as possible — just like a good book or suspenseful novel. I liked the idea of playing a character that has to constantly react to the unpredictability of what’s thrown in his direction.”
‘Reptile’ will be in select theaters from September 29th before arriving on Netflix on October 6th.
(L to R) Justin Timberlake as Will Grady and Frances Fisher as Camille in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Netflix ©2023.
(L to R) Benicio Del Toro as Tom Nichols and Ato Essandoh as Dan Cleary in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Daniel McFadden/Netflix ©2023.
Benicio Del Toro as Tom Nichols in ‘Reptile.’ Cr. Daniel McFadden/Netflix ©2023.
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