Paramount+ signs Matt Shakman to direct legal thriller ‘Discretion’

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Paramount+ legal thriller appreciation It already has two A-list stars in Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. The series has now lined up a big-name director as well.

Matt Shakman (Fantastic Four: First Steps, WandaVision) has signed on to direct the first four episodes of the series from A24. The Emmy nominee will also be an executive producer of appreciation.

Paramount landed + appreciation in October 2025 with a straight-to-series order after a bidding war for the project, which is based on a short story by Chandler Baker. The drama was the first big series greenlit by Paramount’s direct-to-consumer president, Cindy Holland, who officially joined the company following the Skydance acquisition.

appreciation Fanning plays Lenny, a summer associate at a major Dallas law firm who “discovers a web of nondisclosure agreements hiding a dark truth,” as the pitching line says. “When she realizes she’s signed the same agreement, her revelations put her in the crosshairs of the firm’s most powerful partner, Sharon (Kidman) — turning the mentor-mentee dynamic on its head, and raising the question: Who gets to keep secrets, and at what cost?”

Shakman and Fanning have worked together previously The Great At Hulu: He directed the pilot episode of this show, earning his first of three Emmy nominations.

Baker is writing and executive producing appreciation. Susanna Grant also executive produces (Incredible, Erin Brockovich); Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward of Llewellyn Pictures; Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films; Jordan Cerf of Linden Entertainment; Joe Hibbs of Cut To; And Shakman.

Shakman has a long and eclectic list of television directing credits that include episodic films Succession, Game of Thrones, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and mad menamong other things. It was also nominated for an Emmy Award for directing WandaVision And it shared a 2021 Marvel/Disney+ presentation nod for Best Limited or Anthology Series. He recently directed the pilot and finale for an upcoming Apple TV series Wild thingsStarring Jude Law and Andrew Garfield. The Shakman deck is new Planet of the Apes Film for twentieth century studios, and re-collaboration with The Fantastic Four: The First Steps Contributing writer Josh Friedman.

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