Xuenou > Featured > David O. Russell and Christian Bale Debut ‘Amsterdam’ at Private L.A. Screening Attended by Oscar Isaac, Ben Stiller and Jeremy Strong
David O. Russell and Christian Bale Debut ‘Amsterdam’ at Private L.A. Screening Attended by Oscar Isaac, Ben Stiller and Jeremy Strong
Filmmaker Adam McKay also moderated an Amsterdam movie Q&A featuring David O. Russell and star Bale who talked about the many nights they closed down Santa Monica's Fromin's Deli while prepping for the project.

David O. Russell and Christian Bale Debut ‘Amsterdam’ at Private L.A. Screening Attended by Oscar Isaac, Ben Stiller and Jeremy Strong

Adam McKay, Christian Bale and David O. RussellAlberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images

Amsterdam came to Los Angeles over the weekend.

David O. Russell debuted his anticipated and star-packed film during a private screening on Sunday night at the Ross House alongside star Christian Bale in front of an A-list crowd. Filmmaker Adam McKay was also on hand to moderate a Q&A with Russell and Bale.

The screening — a private event on an extremely busy industry weekend that saw major world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival and a slew of industry gatherings ahead of Monday night’s Emmy Awards — drew Oscar Isaac, Jeremy Strong, Ben Stiller, John C. Reilly, Alexander Payne, Guillermo del Toro, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Broccoli and many more. 

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Per a source on site, Russell and Bale, who collaborated on the project for more than five years, discussed many of the themes from the film, including the joy and love in true friendship and defiant optimism. They also recounted the many nights they closed down Santa Monica staple Fromin’s Deli while working on the film.

Amsterdam, hailing from Disney, 20th Century Studios, New Regency Prods. and Forest Hill Entertainment, is described as an original crime epic about three close friends who find themselves at the center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history. The three friends are Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington — a doctor, nurse and attorney “who met in Belgium,” per the film’s trailer.

They star alongside Robert De Niro, Chris Rock, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, Rami Malek, Zoe Saldaña, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Shannon, Andrea Riseborough, Alessandro Nivola and Matthias Schoenaerts, among others. Amsterdam marks Russell’s first film since 2015’s Joy.

Amsterdam will officially be unveiled at a world premiere screening in New York at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall this weekend before a wide opening in theaters on Oct. 7. On Monday, the studio also released new character posters that can be seen below.

Christian Bale stars in Amsterdam.Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Taylor Swift stars in AmsterdamCourtesy of 20th Century Studios