Seduction Turns Deadly in James Marsden and Kerry Washington’s New Netflix Thriller
Netflix dives into D.C.’s corridors of desire and deceit as James Marsden and Kerry Washington lead An Innocent Girl, a psychological thriller about a power couple ensnared in sex, ambition, and murder.
Netflix just lined up a sleek new thriller with some bite: James Marsden and Kerry Washington are leading An Innocent Girl, a psychological thriller that plays in the D.C. sandbox of sex, power, and, yes, murder.
The setup
The story centers on a young, ambitious woman who gets pulled into the orbit of a high-powered Washington, D.C. couple and finds herself in a dangerous spiral of seduction, influence, and deadly stakes. Plot specifics are under wraps, but the logline signals a glossy, grown-up pressure cooker. Feels like everyone here knows exactly what kind of trouble they are making.
Who is making it
- Cast: Kerry Washington (also executive producer), James Marsden, Chloe East
- Director: Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise; Black Adam; Carry-On in 2024; The Woman in the Yard in 2025; the upcoming action thriller Cliffhanger)
- Writers: Michael Mohan, Marc Guggenheim, Carly Wray
- Where to watch: Netflix, as part of Collet-Serra's overall film deal with the streamer
File under deal-world detail: this one sits inside Collet-Serra's overall pact at Netflix, continuing their run after 2024's Carry-On. He thrives in high-gloss danger, so the pairing fits.
The players and their momentum
Kerry Washington is on a serious Netflix streak. She popped up in Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery and Tyler Perry's World War II drama The Six Triple Eight, and next she headlines Ben Affleck's crime thriller Animals. Wearing both star and executive producer hats here should add some extra edge to the material.
James Marsden last raced through 2024's Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and 2026 is stacked for him. He has the buddy action comedy Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice on deck and he is back as Scott Summers/Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday. Busy year, very different vibes.
Chloe East keeps racking up interesting credits after The Fabelmans, the A24 thriller Heretic, and the dreamy sci-fi romance A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Solid, versatile get for this kind of pressure-cooker thriller.
Bottom line: An Innocent Girl has that sleek, dangerous energy baked in — A-list leads, a director who excels at tension with a pop sheen, and a premise that promises sharp turns. Keep this one on your radar.