From Iconic to Uncast: Why 'Crown Affair' Reboot Just Lost Its Leading Lady

Taylor Russell has stepped away from The Thomas Crown Affair, the upcoming reboot directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan. Her exit, attributed to creative differences, leaves the film’s central female role — a modern update of a part once played by Faye Dunaway and Rene Russo — temporarily vacant. The studio is now recasting, while production continues in London.

Russell had been cast as an insurance investigator entangled in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with Crown, a charismatic financier suspected of staging artful heists. It’s a dynamic that’s long defined the appeal of Thomas Crown: part thriller, part slow-burn romance. But evidently, not every vision for that chemistry aligns — not in this version, anyway.

Though no replacement has been named yet, the film still boasts an impressive ensemble, including Kenneth Branagh, Lily Gladstone, Danai Gurira and Pilou Asbæk. Meanwhile, Russell’s schedule remains as full as ever.

She’s set to appear in Na Hong-jin’s Hope alongside Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, and is also part of Frank Ocean’s upcoming film. Not bad for someone who’s just left a major studio production — or perhaps precisely why.

Jordan’s reboot is still set for a theatrical release on 5 March 2027.