Guy Ritchie, John Krasinski, and Natalie Portman give first look at Fountain of Youth: 'In the vein of Indiana Jones'

Already one of Hollywood's busiest filmmakers, Guy Ritchie felt it was time to embark on a new kind of adventure with his latest film, Fountain of Youth.

The British writer-director, famous for his fast-talking, comedic gangster movies (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch) and spy thrillers (The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare; Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), says he's making a conscious effort to diversify his body of work. 

"I found myself feeling like if I wasn't too careful, I was ending up in a comedy-action-gangster genre, of which, of course, I'm comfortable and enjoy, but at some point, I thought, you have to spread your wings as a writer-director," Ritchie tells Entertainment Weekly for the movie's first look in our 2025 Preview.

Enter Apple TV+'s Fountain of Youth, a family-friendly action-adventure film he describes as "in the vein of Indiana Jones but contemporary." Written by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), the story follows two estranged siblings, Luke and Charlotte Purdue, played by John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, who partner on a global heist to find the mythical spring.

"They both come from a background of archeological endeavors in terms of finding archeological artifacts, so there's a history there," Ritchie notes. "They are estranged, but they find an alibi as to why they need to unify to find this particular treasure."

Krasinski tells EW that his character Luke is "the definition of 'live life to the fullest,'" adding that he is "not one to stand still." The actor, recently dubbed PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, adds, "His adventurous (and somewhat reckless) spirit always makes for a good time…even if it is at the expense of his sister. It was that outlook on life that made Luke a blast to play." 

While Charlotte also "came from a very adventurous childhood," she has since "chosen a more stable life" as an adult, Portman explains. She gets "thrust back into adventure" by her brother. "It was fun playing a woman who's finding her wildness again," Portman adds.

Shot on locations around the world, from Egypt to Bangkok to Vienna, filming Fountain of Youth was almost as much of an adventure for Ritchie and his cast as it was for the characters in the story. "Ironically, you end up being in the movie yourself, if you know what I mean," Ritchie says. "You go on an action-adventure yourself while you're constructing these things. So the making of films is as much fun as you think it's going to be."

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"I'd never been to Cairo or Vienna before and was blown away by both cities — some of the most special places I've ever been," Portman says. "We also had a crazy chase sequence we shot in Liverpool, which was some really wild car work, and an incredible sunken ship sequence we shot on stage in London. It was always an epic day with wild stunts and scenarios to tackle. Just the most fun you can have, really."

Ritchie always has a blast making his movies, but he says he got along "particularly well" with this group of actors, which also includes Domhnall Gleeson, Stanley Tucci, and Eiza González, who's reteaming with the director for the third time in two years. "I wouldn't hesitate using her again as well," he says. As for Kranzinski, the director dubs him "a soldier of the highest order," noting that he and Tucci have become part of his "best friend brigade."

"We would truly laugh all day long," González confirms to EW. "I vividly remember one scene where we spent hours in dire conditions, and it felt like a breeze because we just powered through while laughing and having the best time."

"It's quite emotional to make these things," Ritchie says of the production. "When you're with someone for five months, you end up getting to know them very well. And sometimes it can be challenging, the environments that you are in, or they can get tired, and you can get tired. But John is very hardworking, very conscientious, very talented, and spectacular fun. And Natalie Portman turned out to be almost inexplicably fantastic in every sense, wildly positive."

While the film represents something of a genre shift for the director, Ritchie promises Fountain of Youth will deliver the kind of action fans expect from his work. Asked to compare the film's scale to 2024's high-octane, action-packed Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, he says, "Oh, bigger. It's an expensive film — it's three times the budget of Ministry, and you can feel that. It's pretty relentless once the action starts, and it starts pretty quickly. So yeah, there's a lot of action."

"It was very physically demanding, particularly for me, on this one," González notes. "It's sometimes the simplest things in action scenes that people never think are the hardest to achieve...From Egypt to Thailand to Vienna, every location demanded more and different things to adapt to. It was a huge learning experience for me, and I'm very happy with the result."

The actress joins the cast as Esme, "a fearless, dedicated protector," González explains. "She’s a balance of smarts and physical agility. She’s a walking weapon and carries herself as an enigma. She’s a walking mystery and playing with that was very exciting. "

With Fountain of Youth marking Ritchie's eighth film since helming 2019's Aladdin, the director has never been busier — but he's also never been happier. "I'm just enjoying it more than I've ever enjoyed it," he says. "I think you used to do one movie every three years, and I think we're now on a ratio of about three every year. And I have to say, it's hard work, but it's wildly pleasurable."

And while he plans to continue exploring new genres, Ritchie knows and respects his target audience. "I'm out for a certain demographic, and that demographic is my family, if you know what I mean," he says. "I can sit there with my five kids — I think I have five kids — of all ages, and there's something in there for everyone. Directors really make movies for themselves or their families. That's my experience anyway."