Channing Tatum Stars in Zoë Kravitz’s Directorial Debut

Zoë Kravitz’s killer directorial debut is almost here. 

Blink Twice, formerly titled Pussy Island, stars Kravitz’s fiancé Channing Tatum as a mysterious tech-mogul billionaire. The cast, in addition to Tatum, 43, includes Naomi Ackie, Christian Slater, Geena Davis, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Alia Shawkat and Kyle MacLachlan.

After last appearing onscreen in 2022’s The Batman, Kravitz, 35, is stepping behind the camera as director, co-writer (with E.T. Feigenbaum) and producer of the thriller. 

It stars Ackie, 31, as a cocktail waitress named Frida who “becomes infatuated” with Tatum’s Slater King, per a synopsis. Frida “travels with him to his private island, where things begin to go wrong.” 

Tatum told WSJ. Magazine in 2022 that he didn’t know his now-fiancée before meeting with her about playing Slater in Blink Twice.

“When we first met the movie was pretty different than its form now, but the themes were the same. All the iterations it has gone through were all pretty punk rock, to be honest,” he said at the time. 

Also in 2022, Kravitz told GQ that Tatum was “wonderful and sweet” on the film’s set. “Whether it was making me tea or pouring me a drink or going to whip someone into shape or whatever — he really was my protector,” she said. 

“I think if you can do something like that together, it’s a good test. And we came out even stronger,” she added. “He makes me laugh and we both really love art and talking about art and the exploration of why we do what we do. We love to watch a film and break it down and talk about it and challenge each other.”

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Speaking to WSJ., Kravitz explained why she wanted Tatum, “someone who hadn’t played a dark character before,” for the role of Slater.

“That’s exciting to watch someone who’s mostly played boy next door, good guy, love interest, all of that… I felt, even from afar, before I knew him, that he was a feminist and that he wasn’t afraid of exploring that darkness because he knows he’s not that.”

She added, “That’s why I was drawn to him and wanted to meet with him. And I was right.”

Blink Twice is in theaters Aug. 23.