Robert De Niro returns to the thriller spotlight
It had been years since audiences saw Robert De Niro in a thriller of this scale; his last was “The Irishman,” released on Netflix in 2019. After “Zero Day,” De Niro’s partnership with the streaming giant continues in “The Whisper Man,” an adaptation of Alex North’s bestselling novel. The film intertwines the disappearance of a child, serial murders, and untold family secrets for a suspenseful ride.
Director and cast
Directed by James Ashcroft—known for “The Rule of Jenny Pen” and “Coming Home in the Dark”—the film sets De Niro and Adam Scott as a troubled father and son at the core of a disturbing investigation. “The Whisper Man” became available on Netflix starting August 28, 2026.
The cast features Robert De Niro (“Taxi Driver,” “Goodfellas,” “Heat”), Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” “Severance”), and Michelle Monaghan (“Mission: Impossible,” “True Detective”). It also includes Michael Keaton (“Batman,” “Birdman”), Hamish Linklater (“Fantastic Four”), Owen Teague (“It,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”), and John Carroll Lynch (“Fargo,” “Zodiac”).
Plot: Old wounds, new fears
Tom Kennedy, a crime writer, is raising his young son Jake alone after his wife’s death. When eight-year-old Jake is abducted, Tom is left desperate and turns to his estranged father, Pete, a former detective. Pete once caught the infamous serial killer known as “The Whisper Man,” notorious for kidnapping and murdering children. As the investigation into Jake’s disappearance exposes disturbing parallels to the old case, Tom and Pete realize the past may be haunting them more than they ever suspected. To save Jake, they must confront both their secrets and the chilling link between this new kidnapping and the murderer they believed was gone for good.
