Isabel May To Star Opposite Teo Yoo In Lionsgate Action Thriller ‘Karoshi’

EXCLUSIVE: After signing on to a handful of promising indies, 1883 breakout Isabel May has come aboard to star opposite Past Lives‘ Teo Yoo in Karoshi, the mysterious action thriller that Takashi Doscher wrote and will direct for Lionsgate.

May’s role is being kept under wraps, as is the plot of the film, which is described as a corporate thriller with a samurai twist. 87Eleven Entertainment’s Chad Stahelski, Alex Young, and Jason Spitz will produce as one of the first projects through their first-look production deal with Lionsgate.

Best known for her breakout role of Elsa Dutton in Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama 1883, which she reprised as narrator of 1923 — another of Sheridan’s prequels to hit Paramount+ series Yellowstone — May is coming off of a role in Apple TV+’s starry miniseries Masters of the Air.

Upcoming projects for May include the horror film Menace, which she also exec produced; Gulfstream Pictures’ romantic dramedy Falling opposite K.J. Apa; Joey Power’s romantic comedy Love Language, opposite Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Manny Jacinto, Lukas Gage and Billie Lourd; and the recently announced revenge thriller Wild World.

It’s been a busy month for Lionsgate, which last week snapped up the action comedy spec Three Hitmen and a Baby from Dave Matalon & Matt Altman, with 87North set to produce. Recently, the company has announced development on a film based on the Red Barrels video game series Outlast, as well as a new Luca Guadagnino-helmed adaptation of American Psycho. They’ve set Ke Huy Quan to lead action thriller Fairytale in New York, tapping Penélope Cruz to star opposite Johnny Depp in Day Drinker, and enlisted Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar for Paul Feig’s adaptation of Freida McFadden bestseller The Housemaid. Also tapping Bryce Dallas Howard to direct mystery film All of Her, the studio next releases holiday comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Cillian Murphy’s Small Things Like These on November 8.

May is represented by CAA, Principal Entertainment LA, and Felker Toczek Suddleson.