Michael B. Jordan on Reshaping 'The Thomas Crown Affair' as Director, Producer, and Lead Actor

Michael B. Jordan just won his first Oscar. Now he's taking on his biggest challenge yet, directing, producing, and starring in a reimagined "The Thomas Crown Affair," and by his own account, it hasn't been easy.

After more than two decades in the industry, Michael B. Jordan snagged his first Oscar for Best Actor in March, but that isn’t keeping him from taking on bigger challenges. The 39-year-old actor is currently directing, producing, and starring in a new take on “The Thomas Crown Affair,” and he promises a more layered version of his character.

The film, which was first introduced in 1968, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, and again in 1999 with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo, now casts Jordan alongside Adria Arjona, who replaced Taylor Russell, after she left due to creative differences.

Aware that the pressure is high for a third reimagining of the film, Jordan made sure to reshape his character, a wealthy, thrill-seeking thief, to one with a deeper motivation, believing a billionaire stealing for fun won’t cut it these days.

"I didn't want a reboot. I wanted a reimagination," he told Variety last year. "The first two films were about rich white guys stealing for fun. That doesn't land today. Ours is more personal. The stakes are higher."

Taking on the triple duty of producer, director, and lead is no walk in the park and Jordan has admitted how demanding that workload has been. Describing the year he spent working on the film, he said, "It's the second hardest thing I've ever had to do outside of 'Sinners.' Directing, producing, writing, acting. It was a lot."

This is Jordan’s second directorial gig, following his 2023 debut with "Creed III," which he took on partly because he wanted creative control but also because the original directors of the first two films weren’t available.

As a director, people who’ve worked with him have only good things to say. Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in “Thomas Crown,” describes him as “someone who has a very sharp mind,” adding, “but he thinks physically.” He compares Jordan’s commitment to physical performance to dancer-turned-actor Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Jordan’s recent win at the Oscars, for the film “Sinners,” was the culmination of a decades-long career that began when he was a teenager playing Wallace, a young drug dealer, in HBO's "The Wire." He went on to work in several projects with director Ryan Coogler, including 2013's "Fruitvale Station," the"Creed" franchise, and "Black Panther.”

With such a busy year, Jordan plans to take time off work after doing the promotional rounds for “Thomas Crown.” “I’ll probably take the rest of next year off,” he told Vogue in a new interview. “That’s probably when I’m going to do more reflecting and processing of all of this.”