Julia Garner to star alongside Charlize Theron in thriller Tyrant

Julia Garner has been cast in the thriller Tyrant.

The 31-year-old actress will share the screen with Charlize Theron, 50, in director David Weil’s upcoming movie for Amazon MGM Studios, Deadline has said.

As well as directing the movie, Weil - best known as the creator of the Amazon Prime Video series Hunters - will be writing the story for Tyrant with Cody Behan.

While plot details for Tyrant are being kept under wraps, it has been reported the film will be akin to Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons’ 2014 music drama Whiplash, and will be set in New York City’s high-end culinary world.

Now that Tyrant has found its two leads, Deadline reports the movie is set to start shooting later in the year.

As well as starring in Tyrant, Theron will serve as a producer through her production company Secret Menu with her partners Beth Kono and A.J. Dix.

Weil and his producing partner Natalie Laine Williams will also produce alongside The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona.

Garner is coming off a big year, having starred in Wolf Man, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Weapons in 2025.

The Ozark actress has also signed on to star in an upcoming Madonna biopic, but Garner previously said the project was still “a work in progress”.

Speaking with W Magazine, she said of the film: “I can't say too much about it, but yes, it's a work in progress.”

Garner was also asked about her favourite Madonna songs, and admitted there were “so many”.

She added: “I love Borderline, that’s probably my favourite. I also love Papa Don’t Preach. I love Burning Up.

“I love Confessions on a Dance Floor. I grew up with that album. Obviously Vogue, and Ray of Light.

“I love all of Madonna basically is what I’m trying to say. But definitely, I think Borderline and Papa Don’t Preach are probably my two favorite Madonna songs.

“And I just love Madonna’s voice on Papa Don’t Preach. There’s a lot of emotions in that song and I love that.”

Garner's comments came just a few weeks after she insisted the biopic - which is being co-written by the Like A Prayer hitmaker, 67, herself - was “supposed to still happen”.

Speaking on the SmartLess podcast, she also recalled her audition and revealed: “I kind of just wanted to see if I could do it, because I wasn’t a trained dancer and I had to learn how to dance and then dance in front of her and convince her that I can dance, basically, and sing.

“And sing with her!”

Garner reflected on her preparation for the audition, as she tried to put himself inside the mind of Madonna.

She asked herself: “Ok, what would Madonna do? Which is convince you that she deserves, you know, to be in this room, and I owned it.

“I was kind of like, ‘You can take it or leave it, but if you leave it, if I leave, then that’s on you.’”