Sydney Sweeney to star in Justin Lin’s ‘That Man From Rio’ remake for Apple

Apple Original Films has lined up a remake of the 1964 French adventure comedy That Man From Rio, with Fast & Furious franchise director Justin Lin set to direct Sydney Sweeney.

The project is described as a modern take on the French film of the same name, which starred Jean-Paul Belmondo and Francoise Dorléac and told of a young man on military leave who rescues his abducted girlfriend from Rio de Janeiro.

Chase Palmer is adapting the screenplay for the Apple project, and Kevin Walsh, whose credits include Manchester By The Sea and Napoleon, will produce through The Walsh Company, alongside Lin through Perfect Storm Entertainment. Sweeney will serve as executive producer.

Walsh has a first-look deal with Apple TV, which has so far delivered Apple’s streaming feature Echo Valley, starring Sweeney, Julianne Moore and Domhnall Gleeson, and includes Coda director Siân Heder’s upcoming Apple feature, Being Heumann, about disability rights activist Judy Heumann.

Sweeney is in the awards conversation for her starring role in David Michod’s boxing biopic Christy which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and opens on November 7 through Black Bear’s new US distribution division.

She also stars in Lionsgate’s thriller The Housemaid opposite Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar which opens on December 19, and is currently filming the third season of her breakout role in Euphoria. Her credits include Sony Pictures’ romantic comedy hit Anyone But You opposite Glen Powell, Neon’s horror title Immaculate, and HBO’s The White Lotus.

Among Lin’s feature directing credits are five Fast & Furious films including F9: The Fast Saga and Fast & Furious 6, as well as Star Trek Beyond, and his breakout Better Luck Tomorrow. His latest film Last Days premiered at 2025 Sundance and opened through Vertical earlier this month.

Apple Original Films is coming off its most successful theatrical release to date with summer tentpole F1: The Movie starring Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, Damson Idris and Javier Bardem. Joseph Kosinski directed and Jerry Bruckheimer produced the Formula 1 feature, which is poised to cross $630m at the worldwide box office and ranks as the highest-grossing original Hollywood release of the year-to-date, Pitt’s biggest theatrical hit in a lead role, and the biggest sports film of all time. F1 drops on Apple TV on December 12.

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