John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Domhnall Gleeson & Eiza Gonzalez to Lead 'Fountain of Youth' for Guy Ritchie

by Darian Scalamoni

    With adventure films on the rise in recent years with success of projects such as The Lost City and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, it appears Guy Ritchie is setting one of his own for Apple. According to reports from Deadline, Fountain of Youth will be Ritchie's next project with a wide-ranging ensemble led by John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza Gonzalez and Domhnall Gleeson.

    Apple will re-team with Skydance for Fountain of Youth following the success of their last collaboration, The Family Plan. James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) writes the script for the adventure pic that follows Krasinski and Portman as siblings who seek out the fantastical Fountain of Youth, to receive immortality. The movie is said to be a top priority for Skydance after Vanderbilt's script, "blew execs away." They've been trying to set it up since prior to the strikes but now are full speed ahead on the project. 

    Krasinski has transitioned mostly to a writer-director in recent years having created the horror franchise, A Quiet Place. He's made time for the occasional acting role, however, having appeared in the MCU for a long-awaited fan casting rumor turned to reality as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He also leads Amazon spy series, Jack Ryan. His next movie behind the camera is the family film, IF, which is slated to hit theaters on May 17.

    Portman most recently starred in Todd Haynes' May December for Netflix, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role as an actress preparing for a role where she would embody the center of a notorious tabloid romance. She recently wrapped a TV series for Apple's Lady in the Lake opposite David Corenswet, Mikey Madison and Moses Ingram. Portman is also a 3-time Oscar nominee, having won for her lead role in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan back in 2011.

    Gonzalez has teamed twice previously for director Guy Ritchie, however, neither project has been released yet. Gonzalez has roles in Ritchie's last two films, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, and an untitled action pic starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill. The actress broke out in 2017's Baby Driver and has since starred across multiple franchises such as Fast & Furious and Godzilla vs. Kong. She's set to have a role in Amazon's Mr. and Mrs. Smith and will star in David Benioff and D.B. Weiss' upcoming Netflix series, Three Body Problem which debuts on March 21.

    Gleeson earned Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations last year for his haunting role as serial killer Sam Fortner in FX's acclaimed series, The Patient. He also had a role in HBO's White House Plumbers in 2023. Gleeson will next star in yet another television project, this time, a romantic two-hander opposite Oscar-nominee Andrea Riseborough in Alice & Jack. Gleeson is also set to appear in Echo Valley with Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney.