David Ayer & Shia LaBeouf Reteam For Crime Movie Tax Collector

Screen Rant

David Ayer to Direct Shia LaBeouf in Crime Thriller Tax Collector

By Julia Teti

Published Jun 22, 2018

David Ayer and Shia Labeof are working together for the first time since Fury for a new, independent crime thriller, titled Tax Collector.

David Ayer is slated to direct Shia LaBeouf in a new crime thriller titled Tax Collector. This will be the second project Ayer and LaBeouf have worked on together, with 2014's WWII-centered thriller Fury being their first collaboration.

Ayer is currently in-between Bright and Bright 2 at the moment, with his DC spinoff Gotham City Sirens hanging in limbo, which means he's open to work on other projects while he continues prepping his Netflix sequel. LaBeouf, meanwhile, has been working on more independent projects with roles in American Honey and Borg vs. McEnroe, and now he's slated to reteam with Ayer on a new independent project.

Deadline reports that the Tax Collector movie will harken back to Ayer's gritty works, with the movie based on a script by Chris Long (Mr. Mercedes). At the moment, Shia LaBeouf's role in the new film is unknown. Plus, it's unclear exactly what the movie will be about. But, considering that the movie is currently in the pre-production process, audiences should find out more about the film as it gets closer to ramping up production.

Bobby Soto, who has appeared on the television drama For The People, will costar alongside LaBeouf in the new film. LaBeouf's upcoming projects include The Peanut Butter Falcon, costarring Dakota Johnson and The Punisher's Jon Bernthal. Plus, LaBeouf will be playing his own father in the upcoming biopic film Honey Boy, which centers on the early years of his career.

Within the past few years, David Ayer has had little luck with critical and commercial acclaim for his films. Due to studio interference, the results from Suicide Squad were not exactly what Ayer had envisioned, nor was the critical panning of his Netflix film Bright. If Tax Collector has Ayer writing and directing in the style of his early films, as reported, then fans have something to look forward to.

The film doesn't have a scheduled release date, but with production beginning this summer, it won't be long before audiences see a new Ayer vehicle on the screen. Moving into a more independent filmmaking sphere could allow Ayer the freedom to make the film he envisioned, free from any studio interference. The director has everything working for him on this new project to tell the story he wants, and in the style he wants.