Daniel Quinn-Toye, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen Join 'Pumping Black' Cast

Cameras are rolling in the French Alps on "Pumping Black," the cycling thriller starring Jonathan Bailey ("Wicked," "Jurassic World: Rebirth") and Oscar winner Natalie Portman ("May December," "Good Sex"). The shoot runs until early December.

Four actors have joined the ensemble: Daniel Quinn-Toye ("Sterling Point"), Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen ("The Weight"), César winner Arieh Worthalter ("The Goldman Case") and Emmy winner Tony Hale ("Veep"). They round out a cast that already includes Lukas Gage ("The White Lotus") and Alex Akpobome ("Industry"). Variety first announced the project earlier this year, ahead of its market launch in Cannes by Anton Studios.

What is the film about?

"Pumping Black" is set in elite professional cycling. Bailey plays Taylor Mace, 35 years old and aging out of the sport. Portman's Andrea Lathe, a doctor driven by her own thirst for victory and power, takes him under her wing. As the race progresses, Taylor must take increasingly dark measures to protect both his secret and his lead.

The premise gives Portman a villain-adjacent lead and Bailey a physical role shot across mountain terrain through early December. Takeaway: an aging-rider morality tale with two bankable stars and a hard stop date on production.

Who is making it?

Mimi Cave ("Holland," "Fresh") directs from a screenplay by Haley Hope Bartels. The producer roster:

• Stacey Sher for Shiny Penny ("The Hateful Eight," "Heretic")
• Portman and Sophie Mas for MountainA ("May December," "Arco")
• Cave and Sébastien Raybaud for Anton Studios ("Victorian Psycho," "My Darling California")
• Katie Aquino (Shiny Penny) and Kai Raka (Catchlight Studios) as executive producers

Anton Studios fully finances the film and handles worldwide sales, with CAA co-repping the US. For Anton, the project extends a financing slate that already includes "Victorian Psycho" and "My Darling California."

Who is on the creative team?

Cave reunites with editor Martin Pensa, who cut her debut "Fresh." The department heads:

• Cinematographer Justin Brown ("I Am Not Okay With This")
• Production designer JC Molina ("Honey Boy")
• Casting director Kharmel Cochrane ("Saltburn")
• Costume designer Pierre-Yves Gayraud ("Cloud Atlas")
• Hair and make-up: Géraldine Lemaire ("The French Dispatch") and Fabienne Robineau ("Robin Hood")

Cochrane's attachment links the film to the casting sensibility behind "Saltburn," a signal of the ensemble-first approach the producers have taken with this week's four new hires.

The additions of Worthalter, a 2024 César winner, and Hale, an Emmy winner for "Veep," raise the cast's awards profile on both sides of the Atlantic. With production anchored in the Alps until early December, Anton will now gear up sales on a package that pairs two marquee leads with a proven genre director.

By Elena Vasquez