Matt Damon in Talks to Join The Daniels' Wax Museum Thriller — Here's What We Know
TL;DR: Matt Damon is reportedly in talks to lead the new film from "Everything Everywhere All at Once" directors The Daniels, after Ryan Gosling exited the project. The plot: a character opens a wax museum built on an ancient Celtic tomb. It's the kind of premise that sounds absurd until you're 40 minutes in and questioning everything. No release date or streaming platform confirmed yet.
Why This Casting News Actually Matters
Two directors. One Oscar. One of the most disorienting creative pivots Hollywood's seen in years. That's the short version of why The Daniels' next move lands as significant news.
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" made $69.7 million domestically against a $14.3 million production budget. That's not just a hit — that's the rare film that breaks through cultural noise while also sweeping the Academy Awards. Seven statuettes, including Best Picture. Best Director (shared). Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh. These aren't numbers you see from experimental filmmakers. You see them from prestige studios with triple the budget and conventional marketing.
So when their follow-up loses Ryan Gosling and pivots to Matt Damon, it's worth paying attention. Gosling's exit, first reported by JoBlo alongside the plot reveal, likely comes down to scheduling; he's been booked solid since "Barbie" made him a household name again. But the pivot to Damon is genuinely curious. He's never done anything remotely like this.
The Plot: A Wax Museum. On a Celtic Burial Site. Seriously.
Here's the confirmed story: A character named Daniel opens the "Daniel O'Donnell Wax Museum" on the site of an ancient Celtic tomb.
Read that once more. A wax museum. Built directly over Celtic burial grounds. From the directors who made a film where a woman fights crime with googly eyes on her fingers. This is exactly the kind of premise that sounds ridiculous in pitch form and becomes emotionally devastating on screen — if The Daniels pull it off the way they did with "Everything Everywhere."
The wax museum conceit opens obvious visual doors: identity, artificiality, celebrity performance, the uncanny valley between the real and the replica. Folk horror meets giallo absurdism. I keep coming back to how "Everything Everywhere" turns hot dog fingers (which sounds like a throwaway joke) into the emotional center of the entire film. The Celtic tomb detail might work identically here. The absurdity isn't the point. It's the gateway.
Key confirmed details:
- Directors: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (The Daniels)
- Lead in talks: Matt Damon (replacing Ryan Gosling)
- Plot core: A wax museum opening on an ancient Celtic burial site
- Studio: Likely A24, though not officially confirmed for this project yet
- Release date: Not announced
- Production status: Pre-production
Why Damon Is a Surprising but Smart Choice
Matt Damon's filmography reads like a masterclass in hedging bets: "Good Will Hunting" to the Bourne franchise to "Oppenheimer." Prestige drama, action, ensemble work. A surrealist horror-comedy about a cursed wax museum isn't just a stretch. It's a full genre defection.
Which is probably exactly why The Daniels approached him. Michelle Yeoh wasn't an obvious fit for "Everything Everywhere" either, and she delivered a performance that'll be studied for decades. The directors seem to have a knack for casting actors in situations that make you believe they'll fall apart, and then having them nail it anyway.
What most trade write-ups won't say plainly: Damon hasn't opened a non-franchise, non-ensemble film above $30 million domestic since "The Martian" in 2015. This isn't a safe commercial play for either side. It's a mutual bet on credibility over bankability, and that's the more honest way to read the pairing.
If you want to map Damon's full trajectory against The Daniels' catalog, Movie OTT's director and cast database has both filmographies. But honestly? The casting is secondary to the premise. This premise alone is enough to care about.
The Daniels' Track Record: Swiss Army Man to Oscar Gold
These two have been collaborating since around 2010, starting with music videos for Tenacious D and Foster the People. Their first feature, "Swiss Army Man" (2016), starred Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe — the latter as a flatulent corpse used as a survival tool. It premiered at Sundance to a split reaction: walkouts and standing ovations in the same theater.
Then 2022 happened. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won seven Academy Awards and landed a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes (certified fresh). The Metascore sits at 81. These are prestige-institution numbers, not experimental-genre numbers. The film proved The Daniels could make something that works as both genuine art and genuine entertainment, which is rarer than it sounds.
This new project inherits that goodwill, but also that expectation. The wax museum premise suggests they're not playing it safe.
Where You'll Actually Watch This in India
No streaming platform has been confirmed yet. But based on The Daniels' distribution history, the pattern is predictable.
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" landed on Prime Video India after its theatrical run — and it's still available there as of now. That's the most likely destination for this new film, though Netflix India occasionally bids on A24 titles with strong genre hooks, and this one's got genre in spades. Worth noting: A24's Indian streaming deals have shifted title by title since 2023, with "Past Lives" going to Prime Video and "Dream Scenario" landing on Netflix India, so there's no blanket agreement in play.
A24 films typically find Indian audiences on either Prime Video or Netflix, depending on deal structure. Regional language dubs aren't guaranteed, but "Everything Everywhere" did get a Hindi dub on Prime Video India, which sets some precedent for this one.
What Indian viewers should track:
- No India release date announced
- No OTT platform confirmed for India yet
- Most likely platforms based on prior Daniels titles: Prime Video India or Netflix India
- No Hindi/Tamil/Telugu dub confirmed
- Theatrical India release is possible but unconfirmed
Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker will have confirmed streaming availability the moment rights are announced — across Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, JioCinema, SonyLIV, and Zee5 for Indian users.
What Happens Next: Casting Lock, Production, the A24 Machine
The immediate thing to watch for is official casting confirmation. "In talks" means nothing is locked. Negotiations stall. Scheduling conflicts emerge. Roles shift. Once Damon's deal closes, production start will likely follow within weeks.
The Daniels typically take their time in post. Expect a teaser trailer no earlier than late 2025. A24's release calendar stays tight-lipped until the last possible moment. Box-office expectations hinge entirely on how marketable a Celtic-tomb-wax-museum premise proves to be, and that's genuinely hard to predict. But The Daniels have earned enough cultural credit that the first trailer will do the heavy lifting.
The Bottom Line: Active Talks, Nothing Signed Yet
Matt Damon is in active talks to join The Daniels' untitled new film. Ryan Gosling is out. The Celtic wax museum plot is now officially on record. No studio confirmation, no release date, no streaming home. Pre-production is underway.
For readers who want to know the moment this lands on a platform in your region, Movie OTT's tracker alerts you the second rights are announced — no matter which service picks it up, no matter where you're watching from.
This one's worth the wait.
