Anya Taylor-Joy’s Apple TV+ Series Casts Another Oscar-Nominated Star

Apple TV+’s upcoming Lucky adaptation has added another Academy Award nominee to its already star-studded cast. Based on Marissa Stapley’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, Anya Taylor-Joy is set to star as the show’s titular heroine, who is attempting to leave her criminal past behind. Meanwhile, Timothy Olyphant will play Taylor-Joy’s father and the career grifter responsible for introducing her to a life of crime. Five-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening has also been cast as Priscilla, a dangerous mob leader.

Per Deadline, Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has been tapped to join the Lucky cast as Agent Billie Rand. Ellis-Taylor, who earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for 2022’s King Richard, also appears in the Oscar-nominated Nickel Boys, which will be competing in the Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay categories at this year’s 97th Academy Awards. This casting also marks an onscreen reunion between Ellis-Taylor and Olyphant, who previously starred together in 2023’s Justified: City Primeval.

What Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s Casting Means For Apple TV+’s Lucky

Lucky Is Quickly Shaping Up To Be An Exciting Project

Even before the initial casting announcements, Lucky already had considerable positive buzz surrounding it. In addition to Stapley’s original book landing on the coveted New York Times bestseller list, it found considerable success after being selected to appear in Reese Witherspoon’s Reese’s Book Club in late 2021. Witherspoon is also slated to serve as an executive producer on the forthcoming adaptation alongside series creator Jonathan Tropper, who has previously received considerable acclaim for 2013’s Banshee, starring The Boys‘ Antony Starr.

This most recent casting further solidifies the already substantial bona fides behind Lucky’s creative team and previously announced cast members. With Taylor-Joy set to return to her first leading television role since leading the cast of The Queen’s Gambit, and her co-stars numbered among some of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, this latest crime drama is quickly shaping up to be a project that will likely draw considerable attention moving forward.

Our Take On Lucky’s Latest Cast Addition

Ellis-Taylor Enjoys Playing Characters With Book Origins

Despite the promise of a life finally free of crime, Taylor-Joy’s new television heroine is set to face a number of key obstacles in a bid to establish a new life for herself in Lucky. Foremost among them will likely be Ellis-Taylor’s FBI agent, whose pursuit of her character will become a central part of the show’s cat-and-mouse game. Ellis-Taylor has previously expressed her own interest in portraying “characters who have novel beginnings,” (via The Hollywood Reporter) and this latest role has the potential to become another widely celebrated addition to her already impressive filmography.

Source: Deadline, THR