Kumail Nanjiani Joins Josh Hartnett in ‘All Day & All Night’ as Cast Locks In for Tommy Wirkola Thriller
kumail nanjiani is officially joining Josh Hartnett in the action-thriller All Day & All Night, with O’Shea Jackson Jr., John Leguizamo, and Dan Fogler also set for the film. The casting details were made public in an announcement issued on March 15, 2026, at 9: 00 AM ET, as the project positions itself for production later in 2026. The film’s hook is high-concept chaos: a bank heist goes wrong, and the criminals end up trapped on the set of a struggling reality TV show while police and the mob close in.
Kumail Nanjiani enters a packed ensemble for a reality-TV-meets-heist setup
All Day & All Night centers on Billy Davies, played by Josh Hartnett, described as a reformed bank robber pushed back into crime after his daughter gets into Harvard and he needs tuition money. The official synopsis states that Billy returns to a life of crime and teams up with a crew that includes characters played by Nanjiani and O’Shea Jackson Jr. What starts as a bank job collapses into a worse problem: the heist “goes horribly wrong, ” and the crew accidentally stumbles onto the set of a failing reality television show.
The stakes split in multiple directions at once. Billy must stay on air long enough to plan an escape, while two cops—played by John Leguizamo and Dan Fogler—are trying to arrest the group. At the same time, the mob is also trying to kill them. The synopsis adds another pressure point: the show’s producers must keep the broadcast going long enough to boost ratings and avoid cancellation, even as a real crime unfolds in front of the cameras.
Tommy Wirkola directs and co-writes; production is slated for later in 2026
The film is written by Tommy Wirkola and John Niven, with Wirkola also directing. Wirkola and Hartnett are producing, alongside XYZ Films, and the production timeline is currently framed as beginning later in 2026. The film’s financing and sales plan, as outlined in the announcement, includes XYZ Films handling global sales and backing from IPR. VC.
XYZ Films is described as having a long working relationship with Wirkola, including prior collaboration on Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead and the Norwegian film The Trip. Guy Danella, identified as XYZ’s President of Film, is set to oversee and produce for the company on this project.
Wirkola also offered a statement alongside the casting update: “We’ve assembled a group of my dream actors to join Josh on this movie, and I can’t wait to see them bring life to our eclectic crew of characters. It’s going to be a wild ride, ” Tommy Wirkola said.
Immediate reactions from the production side
Wirkola’s “dream actors” comment underscores the intent to lean into the film’s ensemble dynamic—criminal crew, pursuing officers, and a reality show apparatus all colliding under pressure. While specific character names beyond Billy Davies were not provided in the announcement, the roles are clearly divided: Hartnett leads as Billy, Nanjiani and Jackson Jr. are part of his crew, and Leguizamo and Fogler play the cops in pursuit.
In the middle of the cast rollout, kumail nanjiani stands out as part of the criminal team that must remain on camera long enough to survive both law enforcement pressure and mob threats, turning a botched heist into a public spectacle the producers are desperate to keep alive.
Quick context: why this cast announcement matters now
The news tightens the picture around All Day & All Night as it heads toward a later-2026 production start, with key principal cast now named alongside Hartnett. It also clarifies the film’s genre promise: an action thriller built around a bank robbery, a reality TV set, and the ticking-clock problem of staying “on air” to buy time.
What’s next as ‘All Day & All Night’ moves toward cameras rolling
Next developments to watch are straightforward: as the later-2026 production window approaches, the project is expected to firm up additional production details tied to the shoot and the full slate of characters around the reality show element. For now, the central configuration is locked—Hartnett at the center as Billy Davies, with Leguizamo and Fogler closing in as cops, and kumail nanjiani and O’Shea Jackson Jr. in the crew caught between a disastrous heist, a live-on-camera trap, and two forces trying to end their run.
