In July 2020, it was announced that StudioCanal and The Picture Company had acquired Role Play, a thriller spec script written by Seth Owen, based on an original idea by George Heller, to be produced by Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona.[4] In July 2021, it was announced that Kaley Cuoco was in negotiations to star in the film, as well as produce alongside Heineman and Rona.[5] In October 2021, it was reported that Thomas Vincent would direct the film, and Cuoco's roles as actor and producer were also confirmed;[6] Cuoco would be producing though under her banner Yes, Norman Productions.[1]
In June 2022, it was announced that David Oyelowo was cast as Cuoco's character's husband,[7] and Billy Bob Thornton was cast as a "mysterious stranger who encounters the couple".[8] In July 2022, it was announced that Bill Nighy had replaced Thornton, who had to leave the film due to a scheduling conflict.[9]Connie Nielsen was also cast.[10]
In June 2022, it was reported that Amazon Prime Video was in final negotiations to release the film in the United States and several international territories.[7] The sale was confirmed that same month.[8]
Role Play was released by the platform on January 12, 2024.[1]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 27% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10.[11]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 38 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[12]
Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote: "Luckily, Role Play is handled lightly enough by Vincent's direction and Seth Owen's script that we never feel the need to take it very seriously. Which is fortunate, because otherwise we'd have to ponder why we’re rooting for an amorally ruthless hitwoman anyway".[3]
