Crime 101’s lead writer explains why his new movie with Chris Hemsworth is “more of an emotional rollercoaster” than his other acclaimed films

• Crime 101 Writer-director Bart Layton revealed the biggest challenge he faced in his new film
• The film directed by Chris Hemsworth is based on a short story of the same name
• This is the first non-real crime project Layton has worked on.

Crime 101The writer-director opened up about the biggest creative challenge he faced in the lead-up to his new film.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Bart Layton said that turning Don Winslow’s short story of the same name into a two-hour feature film was daunting in itself. However, he also admitted that, compared to previous films he worked on, having the creative freedom to take Crime 101The film adaptation of in a different direction from its source material was equally daunting.

Until now, Layton’s work has consisted of crime films, that is, big and small screen offerings centered on stories involving criminal activity. However, based on the British filmmaker’s 2012 BAFTA-winning film The imposter to the underestimated ones of 2018 American animalsthese productions were all based on true crimes, such as the latter’s version of the 2004 Transylvania University book heist.

With one of the most anticipated new films of 2026 based on a work of fiction rather than fact, Layton had to not only embellish Winslow’s short story, but also follow up on a tale beloved by fans of the beloved American author. On top of all that, Amazon and Sony’s film had to meet the challenges of the character arc while being visually and narratively compelling. No pressure then, Mr Barton!