The World Premiere of director Simon West’s Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz will open the 25th anniversary edition of Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF).
Old Guy, which also stars Cooper Hoffman and Lucy Liu, centers around aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) who still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck in a boring “desk” assignment while pining for the love of spunky club manager Anata (Lucy Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back in the field, but only to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with a bad attitude. The mismatched pair is asked to eliminate a competing crime syndicate but uncover their employer’s true motive: removing the old guard in a full takeover. The Company didn’t anticipate that Danny’s experience coupled with the kid’s brilliance would create such an unlikely bond between the two. Along with Anata’s crucial help, the duo takes matters into their own hands to take down The Company and that age has no limits.
Christoph Waltz will receive the Icon Award at the screening in celebration of his widely admired career. Waltz is a two-time Academy Award winner for his iconic performances in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. His other credits include Big Eyes, The French Dispatch, Horrible Bosses 2, No Time To Die, Spectre, and Water for Elephants. His upcoming projects include Dracula: A Love Tale and Frankenstein.
“The Festival is thrilled to host the World Premiere of Simon West’s Old Guy as the Opening Night Film to kick off the 25th anniversary of the Newport Beach Film Festival,” stated Gregg Schwenk, CEO and Executive Director of NBFF. “To have Christoph Waltz in attendance to honor his iconic career will truly create an unforgettable event for our audience. We are looking forward to announcing additional films and special events for our 25th edition in the coming weeks.”
The film will screen on Thursday, October 17, kicking off the 25th edition of the Festival from October 17-24. The Avenue will release Old Guy in the spring of 2025.
Directed by Simon West (The Expendables 2, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mechanic) and written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son), Old Guy is produced by Jib Polhemus (The Last Son, The Expendables 2), Martin Brennan (One Way, Zone 414), West, R.U. Robot Studio’s Petr Jákl (Medieval, The Last Full Measure) and Hal Sadoff (The Nice Guys, Orphan: First Kill). Norman Golightly (Lord of War, Ghost Rider) produced on behalf of Dark Castle Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, The Avenue’s JJ Caruth, R.U. Robot Studio’s Martin J. Barab, Blue Rider Pictures’ Walter Josten (Around the World in 80 Days, Holes) and Aperture Media Partners’ Jared Underwood, Andrew Robinson and Dan Mandel.