Picture: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott
Netflix has wrapped up filming on its brand new thriller adaptation of The Whisper Man. Here’s your updated comprehensive rundown of everything we know about the film so far, including its full cast, production updates, and more on what you can expect.
We first reported that Netflix was eying the project from AGBO back in April 2022. At the time, Netflix didn’t respond to a request for comment, and it wasn’t until February 2025 that the project was confirmed officially.
AGBO first optioned the book back in June 2018. When the book was optioned, author Alex North said: “As an enormous fan of Joe and Anthony Russo’s filmmaking, I am absolutely delighted to be working with AGBO to bring The Whisper Man to the screen. I can’t imagine a better home for it.”
AGBO is the production company established by Anthony and Joe Russo, the writing duo who got their start on TV sitcoms like Arrested Development and Community before moving onto the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, in more recent years, big-budget blockbusters, including Netflix’s The Gray Man, which continues to be Netflix’s seventh biggest English-language movie of all time. The duo will serve as executive producers on The Whisper Man.
Their next big release for Netflix is The Electric State, due to release in March 2025.
Picture: AGBO
What is The Whisper Man on Netflix about?
The movie will adapt Alex North’s horror/thriller novel of the same name, which was released in June 2019.
A logline for the movie is as follows:
“A recently widowed man and his young son move in to a new house, where they become the latest family cuaght up in a string of disappearances of young boys going back decades.”
Our understanding is that the movie closely follows the characters from the book, with casting currently underway for the roles of Tom and Jake Kennedy.
Who’s behind The Whisper Man for Netflix?
Chase Palmer and Ben Jacoby are serving as writers on the project who are adapting the source material. Palmer is best known for working on many projects, such as Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2017 Stephen King adaptation It and, more recently, as writer/director on Naked Singularity. Jacoby is one of the writers on the upcoming 20th Century Fox horror The First Omen and has a slew of other projects in the works.
Pictured: Chase Palmer and Ben Jacoby
Michael Disco, President of Film at AGBO, is the project’s producer.
What’s on Netflix can confirm that New Zealand-based director James Ashcroft is on board to direct the project. He’d previously been tied to The Whisper Man in April 2023 by Stuff.co.nz, who stated that he’s working on two “thriller” projects, including The Whisper Man.
Ashcroft is best known for directing and writing the 2021 movie Coming Home in the Dark for Dark Sky Films. He’s currently attached to direct How to Sell a Haunted House and has been linked to Old Haunts.
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Who are the cast members of The Whisper Man?
So far, only three cast members have been confirmed.
On February 5th, 2025, Robert De Niro was announced as the first cast member. The Academy Award-winning actor recently starred in Netflix’s political thriller Zero Day and previously starred in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman on Netflix. He’ll play the role of Pete Willis, described as rough, intuitive, and probably the smartest person in the room. They can sense when something’s wrong long before anyone else, but the real challenge is convincing others before it’s too late.
Picture: Robert De Niro in Zero Day (left) and de-aged in The Irishman (right) – Netflix
Announced on March 8th, 2025, Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott have joined the cast of The Whisper Man. Monagahan previously starred in two Netflix series, Messiah and Echoes. She is most well-known for starring in HBO’s The White Lotus and Apple+’s Bad Monkey. Scott is known for starring as Ben Wyatt in Parks and Recreation and Mark Scout in Severance.
Scott will play the role of Tom Willis, described as someone doing their best, even if it doesn’t always show. They carry a lot on their shoulders, but only because they care deeply. Fiercely protective, they’ll do whatever it takes to shield the people they love—even if it means stepping into the dark alone.
Monaghan will play Amanda Beck, described as ambitious, sharp, and always running at 110%, they’re the rookie detective with something to prove—and waiting for backup isn’t their style. If they weren’t busy unraveling a mystery no one else saw coming, they’d probably be the one calling the shots.
Picture: Michelle Monaghan in The White Lotus (left) and Adam Scott in Severance (right)
On April 16th, 2025, Netflix confirmed that Michael Keaton (Birdman), John Carroll Lynch (Ballard), Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass), Owen Teague (Montana Story), and Acston Luca Porto (Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado) have joined the cast of The Whisper Man.
Elsewhere, in more minor roles, Jacob Berger (Saturday Night) will appear as an NJ Prison Guard. Will Brill (Test Pattern) will appear as Sgt. John Dyson. Brennan Muller will appear as Owen.
Picture top left to bottom right: Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, Hamish Linklater, Owen Teague, and Acston Luca Porto.
What is the production status of The Whisper Man?
The film was shot over a two-month period in New Jersey, United States, between April 4 and June 4, 2025. AGBOVerse shared a couple of photos (seen below) from the first day of filming at a Friends Meeting House (Quakers) in Garretton, New Jersey. Numerous eyewitnesses and local reports caught the production in action throughout filming, including an instance where TapInto spotted Robert De Niro filming at Paterson City Hall.
Local outlet NJ.com spotted the team filming in Scotch Plains, Plainfield, North Plainfield, and Westfield. Montclair Local also reported that some filming took place at a special historic building in May at 60 S. Fullerton Ave.
Picture Credit: AGBOVerse
The official AGBO Films account confirmed filming had wrapped on June 7th with an Instagram post, reading, “That’s a wrap on The Whisper Man! We can’t wait for you all to experience this gripping crime thriller from James Ashcroft starring Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, and Michael Keaton. Congrats to AGBO’s producing team!”
Picture: AGBO Films / Instagram
Are you looking forward to an adaptation of The Whisper Man on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
Rating: PG-13
