Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning Legal Thriller Discretion Adds Stephan James and Colton Ryan

Paramount+ legal drama Discretion is expanding its cast as production gets underway on the eight-episode series from A24, according to reporting from Variety and Deadline.

Actors Stephan James and Colton Ryan are joining the upcoming project in series regular roles, according to Variety and Deadline. They join a cast that already includes Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, and Josh Lucas. The series is based on the short story of the same name by Chandler Baker.

Cast Additions and Character Details

Stephan James will play Logan, a sharp corporate associate who becomes a mentor to the main character, according to Deadline. James is known for his roles in If Beale Street Could Talk and Homecoming, and he stars as Carl Weathers in I Play Rocky. His representation includes the Gersh Agency, Range Media Partners, HillTop Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman, as reported by Variety.

Colton Ryan will play Boone, described by Deadline as Lenny’s ex-boyfriend and a recovering addict from an affluent Dallas family. Ryan is nine months sober and living at a halfway house while trying to rebuild his life, according to Variety. The role marks a reunion for Ryan and Elle Fanning, who previously starred together in the Hulu limited series The Girl From Plainville. Ryan is repped by the Gersh Agency and TFC Management, according to Variety.

Production and Creative Team

Chandler Baker is writing and executive producing Discretion, with Susannah Grant also attached to executive produce, according to Variety. Matt Shakman serves as an executive producer and will direct the first four episodes of the Paramount+ series, as reported by Deadline.

Nicole Kidman executive produces via Blossom Films alongside Per Saari, according to Deadline. Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning, and Brittany Kahan Ward executive produce for Lewellen Pictures, while Jordan Cerf of Linden Entertainment and Joe Hipps of Cut To round out the executive producer team alongside A24, as noted by Variety.

Plot and Premise

The logline for Discretion states that the story centers on summer associate Lenny, played by Elle Fanning, at a prestigious Dallas law firm, according to the source material. Lenny uncovers a web of non-disclosure agreements masking a dark truth. When she realizes she signed the same agreement, her discoveries place her in the crosshairs of the firm’s most powerful female partner, Sharon, played by Nicole Kidman.

According to Variety, this conflict upends their mentor-protégé dynamic and raises central questions about who gets to keep secrets and at what cost. Production is currently underway for the streaming platform, with A24 producing the legal thriller.