Ben Foster Set To Star In MEDIEVAL

J.B.J Film and Elevated Films announced today that acclaimed actor Ben Foster has been cast as the lead in director Petr Jákl’s historical action drama MEDIEVAL. Jákl wrote the screenplay and will produce alongside Cassian Elwes. The film will be produced with the support of private investors and many Czech state institutions and regions, including the Czech Film Fund, the Prague Film Fund, Creative Europe – Media and others. Principal photography is scheduled to begin this fall in Prague and the surrounding Czech countryside.

The film is inspired by the origin story of the legendary 14th century warlord Jan Zizka of Trocnov (Foster), who along with his band of mercenaries became entangled with an heiress and battled a rival King in a struggle for equality for the Czech people.

Foster is best known for his roles in HELL OR HIGH WATER, 3:10 TO YUMA, THE MESSENGER and ALPHA DOG. He can be seen in the acclaimed film LEAVE NO TRACE earning him rave reviews.

“I actually loved this script and loved Petr’s first two movies. I think he‘s going to do a fantastic job on this film. And I couldn‘t be more excited to work with Ben Foster again, after my experience with him on Ain‘t Them Bodies Saints. He‘s one of the greatest young actors working right now,” said Elwes.

Additional support includes the Middle Bohemia Region; the Capital city of Prague and the President of the Senate of Parliament of the Czech Republic.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Deadline/REX/Shutterstock
Ben Foster

Ben Foster is an actor well-known to audiences for two decades of notable dramatic portrayals. In 2017, he won an Independent Spirit Award, also earning him a Critics Choice nomination for his performance opposite Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water, written by Taylor Sheridan and directed by David Mackenzie; the film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

He can currently be seen in Debra Granik’s drama Leave No Trace. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released by Bleeker Street. The film tells the story of a father (Foster) suffering from PTSD, raising his daughter off the grid. The Atlantic calls his performance” career-best work from Foster”, “Exceptional” by the LA TIMES,

He was last seen on stage starred in Benedict Andrews’ staging of Tennessee Williams’ classic A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite Gillian Anderson and Vanessa Kirby, at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn; the production originated at London’s Young Vic Theatre. He had previously made his Broadway debut in a revival of Lyle Kessler’s Orphans, opposite Alec Baldwin and Tom Sturridge, directed by Daniel Sullivan.

Mr. Foster made his film debut starring in the lead role of Barry Levinson’s 1950s-set Liberty Heights. Since then, his movies have included James Mangold’s hit Western 3:10 to Yuma, for which he shared with the ensemble a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture; Nick Cassavetes’ Alpha Dog; Braden King’s Here; Fernando Meirelles’ 360; Baltasar Kormákur’s Contraband; David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints; John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings, in which he portrayed poet William Burroughs; Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor; Craig Gillespie’s The Finest Hours; Ron Howard’s Inferno; Scott Cooper’s Hostiles; and Stephen Frears’ The Program, in which he starred as Lance Armstrong. He starred opposite Woody Harrelson in Oren Moverman’s The Messenger and reunited with the duo for Rampart, on which Mr. Foster stepped into a new role, as producer.

He memorably recurred on the classic television series Six Feet Under, sharing with his fellow actors a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Mr. Foster won a Daytime Emmy Award for his performance in the drama about teen bullying, Bang Bang You’re Dead, directed by Guy Ferland and scripted by William Mastrosimone.

He will next be seen starring on-screen in Mélanie Laurent’s Galveston, opposite Elle Fanning, which world-premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.