David Harbour Steps Away from Tony Gilroy’s ‘Behemoth!’

David Harbour has decided to bow out of Tony Gilroy’s latest project, ‘Behemoth!’, after a demanding stint filming the last season of the sci-fi favourite ‘Stranger Things’. The actor, well-known for his role in the Netflix series, has chosen to take a breather, leaving the production team to find a replacement for his part. The two-hour finale of the show landed on New Year’s Day 2026, marking the end of an era for fans and cast alike.

Gilroy, who’s both writing and directing ‘Behemoth!’ for Searchlight Pictures, has assembled a striking line-up for the film. The story centres on Alex Serian, a muso from a family of musos, who heads back to Los Angeles. The film is described as a tribute to the music that shapes films and the people behind it. Among the cast are Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Matthew Lillard, Alexa Swinton, Margarite Levieva, and Barry Livingston.

Pascal’s Preparation and Gilroy’s Approach

During a chat on ‘Lovett or Leave It’, Gilroy shed some light on why Pedro Pascal was seen lugging a cello around.

“He’s a cellist in the film. He’s practising the cello very diligently and plus, we want him to be able to carry the cello anywhere he can because... when we did The Devil’s Advocate, when Keanu [Reeves] first came in I remember we were like, ‘He’s gonna be a lawyer? Oh my God...’, and I remember Taylor Hackford said three months out: ‘You gotta put a suit on now and you’re never f****** taking that suit off until we start shooting’, because he looked so weird in a suit. Three months later, he’d worn a suit everywhere he ever went and he had, like, it worked. And carrying a cello case will turn you into a cellist if you do it long enough.”

Gilroy’s method is all about getting his actors to live and breathe their roles, and Pascal seems to be taking the challenge in his stride. The rest of the cast, including Wilde and Lillard, are also set to bring their own flair to the project.

Harbour’s Emotional Farewell to ‘Stranger Things’

Harbour’s decision to step away from ‘Behemoth!’ isn’t all that surprising, given what he’s shared about the emotional toll of finishing ‘Stranger Things’. At Rose City Comic Con last year, he opened up about how tough it was to say goodbye to the series and his mates on set.

“I mean, it’s so surreal... for me, reactions are always delayed. I almost couldn’t process it. I can’t tell you what our last day on set was, because it’s a huge spoiler, but it was a very big culmination... and I couldn’t believe that that was our last day. I was like, ‘Oh my God. They really did time it so that the biggest thing that happens in the series for him, in a certain way, is this moment.’ And so I was really focused on playing the crap out of that moment too. And then it just happens, and it’s just over.

“I’ve known those guys, the Duffer Brothers, for 10 years, and we’ve been through so much together, and that cast and that crew, it’s just like, it’s really hard to process. It took me, like, another six months to really know how I felt to be honest. It really just passed through so quickly. It felt very, very surreal.”

What’s Next for ‘Behemoth!’

With Harbour stepping aside, the production will need to fill his shoes, but the rest of the cast remains locked in. The film’s focus on music and the creative process is likely to strike a chord with punters keen on stories about the arts. Gilroy’s hands-on approach and the dedication of his cast suggest ‘Behemoth!’ will be one to watch when it finally hits screens.