AGC Studios has unveiled the first look at Poolman, an upcoming mystery comedy film that will serve as the directorial debut of Chris Pine. The film will have its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this September.

The image shows off Pine in the starring role as Darren Barrenmen, a swimming pool cleaner. According to a summary of the film, Barrenmen is “a hapless dreamer and would-be philosopher who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny Los Angeles and crashing city council meetings with his neighbors Jack and Diane.” However, when Barrenmen “uncovers the greatest water heist in LA history since Chinatown, he makes uneasy alliances with a beautiful and connected femme fatale while following every lead he can with corrupt city officials, burned out Hollywood types, and mysterious benefactors – all in the name of protecting his precious Los Angeles.”

In addition to Pine, the film, which was announced in February 2022, boasts an impressive supporting cast, with neighbors Jack and Diane being played by Danny DeVito and Annette Bening, respectively. Poolman also has a number of other famous faces attached, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ariana DeBose, and DeWanda Wise in undisclosed roles. There is also significant weight behind the camera, with Pine directing off a screenplay he wrote with Ian Gotler. Pine and Gotler also produced the film alongside Shiny Penny Production‘s Stacey Sher and Wicious Pictures‘ Patty Jenkins, who directed Pine in Wonder Woman and its sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. AGC has sold Poolman’s distribution rights to Paramount, Lionsgate, and others internationally, and American sales will likely begin at TIFF.

Poolman Has Been Getting Significant Praise

While much of the film’s plot remains under wraps, Poolman has been generating buzz ever since its announcement. Pine previously told Esquire that the film was “about a boy-man becoming a man, individuating and figuring out who the f**k he is separate from his parents, and coming to terms with the idea that he’s felt alone. There are some bigger life issues I think I was dealing with, making this thing.”

Pine also revealed that he decided to try directing after Jenkins talked him into it, telling Esquire that “she said it felt to her like I was really bored. That maybe I felt uninspired, that I was doing the same old shtick.” Jenkins recalled a similar story, telling the outlet she told Pine to “do something else on these tentpoles besides wait in your trailer.” She continued to heap praise onto Pine, saying that Poolman was the debut of “a big-time, prolific director. This guy is not going to stop. This is so who he is. I think he might be more of a writer-director than he is an actor.”

Poolman will premiere at TIFF, which runs from Sept. 7 to Sept. 17, 2023. No release window has been announced.

via Collider