The Amateur was released in April and followed Rami Malek as Charles Heller, a CIA cryptographer who goes rogue and seeks revenge on the people who killed his wife (Rachel Brosnahan). The spy thriller is based on the 1981 novel by Robert Littell and was directed by James Hawes. The film currently has a 61% critics score and 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. That Hashtag Show‘s Hunter Bolding gave it a 79%.

In addition to Malek and Brosnahan, the film stars Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, and Laurence Fishburne. Jon Bernthal also appears as Jackson O’Brien AKA The Bear, a CIA operative who is friendly with Heller.

In honor of The Amateur‘s digital release on June 10th, That Hashtag Show was invited to Washington, DC to chat with Hawes and visit the International Spy Museum. While speaking with Hawes, we mentioned that it would be fun to see a prequel film about Bernthal’s character.

Jon Bernthal Is a “Cool Guy” Onscreen and Off

“Isn’t he good?” Hawes said of Bernthal. “The thing is, he has such a presence and does as an actor for the audience what the character does throughout the film for Heller … He’s the cool guy in school you want to be associated with.”

While there are currently no plans to expand the universe of The Amateur, Bernthal has been incredibly busy in 2025. He reprised his role as Braxton in The Accountant 2 alongside Ben Affleck. The star also returned to the world of Marvel in Daredevil: Born Again as Frank Castle/The Punisher. Next year, Bernthal will appear in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated The Odyssey. He will also make his Broadway debut in a stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film, Dog Day Afternoon.

Stay tuned for more from our interview with Hawes and our experience visiting the International Spy Museum.

The Amateur is now available on digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.

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