Ana de Armas Flexes Into a Dark Fitness-Influencer Role in Psychological Thriller Sweat
Ana de Armas will headline Sweat, an English-language remake of the 2020 Polish psychological thriller, as a fitness influencer whose carefully curated online life starts to crack—with chilling consequences.
Ana de Armas is suiting up to play a fitness influencer in a new English-language remake of the 2020 Polish film Sweat, with J Blakeson directing. Think less moody character study, more nerves-on-edge psychological thriller. Cameras are set to roll March 30, according to Variety.
What this version of Sweat is about
De Armas plays Emma Kent, a driven fitness creator chasing the numbers and shine of her idol, social media mega-star Kat Highbrook. One ugly run-in with Kat knocks Emma off balance, and from there it spirals: an obsessive fan named Trent worms his way in with a deal Emma does not want but might feel forced to accept. The deeper she gets, the more Emma has to decide exactly how far she is willing to go for fame. It is the influencer hustle, but with teeth.
Where and when
Filming starts March 30 in Los Angeles and the U.K.
Who is making it happen
Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios is financing and co-producing. Ford is producing alongside Guy Stodel of Rosto Inc. Blakeson is also producing through his banner Crimple Beck.
Why this is interesting
Magnus von Horn’s original Sweat was a sharp, character-focused drama that drifted into some dark corners. This remake is leaning straight into those shadows and selling itself as a psychological thriller, which suggests a tighter, more suspense-forward take on the influencer anxiety baked into the premise.
The players
J Blakeson has a knack for tension across genres: the kidnapping thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed, YA sci-fi with The 5th Wave, the historical miniseries Gunpowder, the spiky psychological drama I Care a Lot, and the crime series Culprits, which he created, ran, and directed.
Ana de Armas broke out internationally with Eli Roth’s Knock Knock and has been bouncing between prestige and big-budget ever since: War Dogs, Blade Runner 2049, No Time to Die, Deep Water, The Gray Man, Blonde, Ghosted, Eden, Ballerina, and of course Knives Out.
Casting for her co-stars is underway now.
Production snapshot
- Title: Sweat (English-language remake of the 2020 Polish film)
- Director: J Blakeson
- Star: Ana de Armas as Emma Kent
- Premise: Influencer meets idol, everything implodes, an obsessive fan ups the stakes
- Tone: Psychological thriller
- Starts filming: March 30
- Locations: Los Angeles and the U.K.
- Producers: Stuart Ford (AGC Studios), Guy Stodel (Rosto Inc.), J Blakeson (Crimple Beck)
- Status: Co-star casting in progress
File this under: glossy social media world meets full-on psychological pressure cooker. Curious to see how far they push it with de Armas in the lead.