Monica Barbaro Latest To Join Bart Layton’s Amazon MGM Thriller ‘Crime 101’

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the Christmas Day release of Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, in which she’s said to give a standout performance as folk singer and activist Joan Baez, Monica Barbaro has found her next project in Crime 101, Bart Layton’s adaptation of the Don Winslow novella for Amazon MGM Studios.

No word on the role she’ll be playing. Other cast members include Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry.

While plot details for Crime 101 haven’t been disclosed, the novella follows veteran jewel thief Davis as he plans a high-stakes diamond heist along the Pacific Coast Highway, getting into a cat-and-mouse chase with dedicated LAPD detective named Lou Lubesnick after executing what he hopes will be his final score before disappearing for good.

Layton directed the pic, intended for theatrical release, from his own script. Producers of the thriller are Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner; The Story Factory’s Shane Salerno; RAW’s Layton and Dimitri Doganis; Derrin Schlesinger; and Wild State’s Hemsworth and Ben Grayson. RAW’s Joely Fether will executive produce.

One of the buzzier actresses in town at the moment, Barbaro came to star opposite Timothee Chalamet in James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown after impressing in Paramount juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick. She’s also known for starring opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Netflix’s hit action comedy series FUBAR, which spent five weeks in the streamer’s Global Top 10 TV (English) in Season 1 and has recently wrapped production on Season 2.

In addition to Ricky D’Ambrose’s indie The Cathedral, exec produced by David Lowery, and Paramount+’s At Midnight, Barbaro’s other credits include Chicago Justice and Chicago P.D., The Good Cop, and UnREAL. She is represented by UTA, Range Media Partners, and attorney Neil Meyer of Meyer & Downs.