One of the more unsung-yet-fascinating parts of the entertainment world is a professional artist’s ability to flex their creative muscles to great success in a variety of genres; when she’s not redefining live music with the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift is currently in the process of crafting her first feature-length movie, and some of you may be surprised to know that Michael Bay has been recruited for Victoria’s Secret commercials in the past.
And up next to prove himself as a chameleon with the camera is one Grant Singer – a notable music video director who has worked with such artists as Swift, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, and Skrillex, and who’s set to make his feature directorial debut with Reptile, the upcoming Netflix crime thriller starring Benicio del Toro and Justin Timberlake.
Starring del Toro as stone-cold Detective Nichols, Reptile follows the gumshoe’s exploits as he and his team work to solve the murder of a real estate agent, the culprit of which could range from the boyfriend who reported the death (Timberlake) to the mysterious, neurotic stranger who showed up at his doorstep just days before. Also starring are Alicia Silverstone, Michael Pitt, and Ato Essandoh.
It may be hard to trust Netflix original films these days, but Singer’s experience with music videos has certainly come in handy with grabbing our attention here; indeed, with Evie Sands’ striking “Angel of the Morning” cover at his beck and call throughout the teaser, Singer no doubt has the shortform tension process down pat; we’ll have to wait and see how well it translates to the full runtime.
Reptile creeps onto Netflix on October 6.