Josh Gad is set to take on one of the most challenging roles of his career. The Grammy-winning and Tony-nominated actor has signed on to star in the upcoming historical drama ‘Gerron’s Last Film,’ directed by BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Simon Curtis, which is inspired by the true story of Jewish actor and filmmaker Kurt Gerron.
The film is scheduled to begin production in the third quarter of 2026. It will depict Gerron’s final years, when he was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Theresienstadt (Terezín) ghetto. Once a celebrated figure in pre-Nazi Germany — and famously the original performer of “Mack the Knife” from ‘The Threepenny Opera’ — Gerron’s career and life were brutally upended when he refused to flee the country as the regime tightened its grip.
Unlike contemporaries such as Fritz Lang and Marlene Dietrich, Gerron stayed, a decision that ultimately led to his internment. In the ghetto, he was ordered by camp commander Karl Rahm to direct a propaganda film designed to convince the outside world that the camp provided humane, even “luxurious,” living conditions. Forced into an impossible moral dilemma, Gerron complied — and simultaneously secretly used the filmmaking process to give his fellow prisoners a fleeting sense of dignity and humanity.
Speaking about the project, Gad emphasized the film’s urgency and relevance. He described ‘Gerron’s Last Film’ as a story that sparks difficult but necessary conversations, noting that art has a responsibility to confront history and serve as a cautionary tale for the present and future.
The film is being produced by Talia Kleinhendler and Osnat Handelsman Keren under Pie Films, operating through their newly established UK office. The screenplay is written by Ehud Lavski and Alon Gur Arie, and Adam Recht and Ross Emery will serve as editor and cinematographer respectively — reuniting Curtis with key collaborators from his previous acclaimed projects.
Curtis has called the screenplay “extraordinary” and praised Gad as the ideal actor to embody Geron’s complexity, emotion, and tragic resilience. The producers echoed this sentiment, emphasizing Geron’s multifaceted talent as both a performer and director, and describing Gad as uniquely suited to embody his remarkable persona. CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are handling domestic rights, and Rocket Science is overseeing international sales and presenting the project at the European Film Market.
With its blend of historical truth, moral dilemmas, and artistic rebellion, ‘Geron’s Last Film’ is shaping up to be a powerful cinematic exploration of creativity under oppression — and one of Josh Gad’s most significant dramatic performances to date.