Jesse Armstrong’s New Billionaire Movie Airs This Weekend

3 days ago

Here's everything you need to know about Mountainhead

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Jesse Armstrong's New Billionaire Movie Airs This Weekend

Here in the UK, Jesse Armstrong has always been known for creating classic British comedies like Peep Show and Fresh Meat and writing on The Thick of It, but he shot to global acclaim with his HBO dramedy Succession. Centring on the super-rich Roy family (who have been compared to the real Murdochs), the show garnered countless fans and awards across its four-season run, with Armstrong praised in particular for his incisive portrayal of America’s elite.

Two years on from Succession’s explosive finale, Armstrong is back writing about the rich: his first feature film, Mountainhead, centres on four tech billionaires. When asked why he was returning to old ground at 2025’s Hay Festival, the writer called it ‘a fair question’. ‘They’re tech billionaires. Succession was about a big media family. And I think it’s because I’m interested in power. I don’t think it’s about just wealth,’ Armstrong said.

Here’s exactly what to expect from Mountainhead, plus when we will get to see it in the UK.

Mountainhead: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

What Will Happen?

Mountainhead is a satire about four tech billionaire friends who head to an opulent Utah mountain resort for the weekend to play poker: Randall (Steve Carell), Hugo (Jason Schwartzman), Venis (Cory Michael Smith) and Jeff (Ramy Youssef). However, as financial and social unrest rumble in the outside world, the quartet finds themselves – and their social media companies – under growing scrutiny.

And it’s not just scrutiny from the outside: as the getaway unfolds over one wild night, the frenemies share their varying feelings on world events, and how it affects them gives way to something more radical. Naturally, they hold their own benefits dearest – but the team thinks they can come up with a solution to the world’s problems. Just one continues to hold out, prompting the other three to come up with an extreme idea to come out on top.

Get a taste of the action in the trailer below.

Mountainhead Trailer

Is Mountainhead Based On A True Story?

No, Mountainhead is not based on a true story, though it attempts to capture the moment we find ourselves in right now, with AI and other technological developments sending society into a tailspin. Mountainhead was created ‘at great speed’, Armstrong noted at Hay Festival. ‘I pitched it in December and wrote it in January… Carried on re-writing it through pre-production and then shot it in 22 days, then edited it.

‘The anxieties that we have about technology, especially AI, feel very present and move quite fast,’ Armstrong noted. ‘And I wanted to try and write it in the same mood as you might be when you’re watching it, so I was keen to do it quickly.

‘Another attraction for me was that I’ve never directed anything before and it made me feel less anxious to run at it and do it really, really quickly,’ the writer added.

The Cast

Steve Carell as Randall
Jason Schwartzman as Hugo ‘Souper’ Van Yalk
Cory Michael Smith as Venis
Ramy Youssef as Jeff
Hadley Robinson as Hester
Andy Daly as Casper
Ali Kinkade as Berry
Daniel Oreskes as Dr. Phipps
David Thompson as Leo
Ami MacKenzie as Janine
Ava Kostia as Paula

Where Was It Filmed?

‘I hope you rich folks don’t mind slumming it in the humble abode of the poorest billionaire in the gang,’ Souper says in Mountainhead. Most of the film was shot in a lavish, contemporary home in famed Utah ski locale, Park City. Filming took place over five weeks in early 2025, and most of the action takes place in this contemporary Succession-worthy home, where our four protagonists hide from the world for a weekend.

Featuring two huge balconies as well as a ground floor terrace, this private mountainside property is all sharp lines and glass, with floor-to-ceiling windows throughout offering breathtaking views down the snowy mountainside. Inside, a comfy-cosy winter vibe is curated with neutral tones, roaring fires and furry throws.