Simon Rex Joins Bodybuilding Drama "Iron Jane" Opposite Eiza González and Brandon Sklenar

Simon Rex is set to join Eiza González and Brandon Sklenar in "Iron Jane," an upcoming bodybuilding drama written and directed by Lissette Feliciano, Deadline reported on 25 August 2026.

Rex will play Landry Taylor, a ruthless kingpin who controls the bodybuilding world. González stars as Janie John, a woman whose childhood of neglect and invisibility pulls her into a world where pain is power — she undergoes an extreme physical transformation as her grip on reality fractures. Sklenar plays a former bodybuilding champion who coaches her.

Highland Film Group is the production company behind the project and is launching it to buyers — the international sales agents who pre-sell distribution rights territory by territory, the mechanism that funds many independent films before a single frame is shot. The company plans to present "Iron Jane" to buyers at the Cannes film market on 5 May 2026, according to Highland's website and IMDb.

For Rex, the role continues a run that has accelerated since his acclaimed lead performance in Sean Baker's "Red Rocket," for which he won the Independent Spirit Award and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor. He has been building momentum across a range of projects. He leads the cast of the sci-fi comedy "Operation Taco Gary's," which Chroma acquired in January 2026, The Hollywood Reporter reported. He appears opposite Charli XCX in Takashi Miike's next film. He will also be seen in Justin Chon's crime thriller "Tommy Karate."

Two of Rex's own producing projects are nearing distribution deals: "The Leader," starring Vera Farmiga, and "Easy's Waltz," featuring Vince Vaughn and Al Pacino. His production banner, Crispy Productions, made its debut with "God Bless You Mr. Kopu," written and directed by Alex Liu, which was selected for the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.

Rex is represented by Buchwald and Range Media Partners.

What makes the "Iron Jane" casting notable is the contrast Rex brings to the table. His "Red Rocket" performance was a study in charm and desperation — a talker who could sell anything. Landry Taylor, the bodybuilding kingpin, puts him on the other side of that dynamic: the power figure who controls the world the protagonist is trying to survive. Paired with Feliciano's vision of bodybuilding as a landscape where physical pain becomes currency, the role gives Rex a darker register to work in.

For González, it is another physically demanding lead following a career that has leaned into action and genre roles. For Sklenar, it continues a rise through character-driven drama. The three-way dynamic — the athlete, the coach, and the kingpin — gives Feliciano a clean triangle to build tension around, with the Cannes market presentation on 5 May 2026 the next checkpoint for whether the film secures the international backing it needs to move toward production.