Key Facts
- What happened: Alexandra Daddario joins The Long Island Bank Robber, a true-crime thriller about a Wall Street trader turned bank robber.
- Co-stars: Taylor Kitsch as Stephen Trantel. Christopher Walken as his father, a retired police officer.
- Director: Matthew Gentile (American Murderer). Screenplay by Gentile and Bianca Vera.
- Based on: ‘Til Heist Do Us Part by Jeanne Callahan and Michael Harvey.
- Filming: Begins November 2026 in New Jersey. No release date yet.
Alexandra Daddario has signed on to her next movie role, and its true story sounds almost too strange to believe. The Alexandra Daddario Long Island Bank Robber casting was announced on November 6. It places the White Lotus star alongside Taylor Kitsch and Christopher Walken in a crime thriller about a Wall Street trader turned bank robber. Filming begins in New Jersey this month.
Kitsch will play Stephen Trantel, a commodities trader who loses his job and turns to bank robbery to keep his family afloat. Daddario plays his wife, Jeanne Trantel, who grows suspicious of her husband while longing for a life of her own. Walken rounds out the cast as Stephen’s father, a retired police officer with a strict moral code.
Alexandra Daddario Long Island Bank Robber: The True Story
Director Matthew Gentile (American Murderer) co-wrote the screenplay with Bianca Vera, based on the nonfiction book ‘Til Heist Do Us Part by Jeanne Callahan and Michael Harvey. VanEast Pictures is handling worldwide sales, and the film launched to buyers at the American Film Market.
Taylor Kitsch plays Stephen Trantel in the film. Photo: Greg2600 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
The real Stephen Trantel lived in Rockville Centre, Long Island, and traded commodities in Manhattan. After the market downturn that followed September 11, 2001, he lost his job. However, he never told his wife. Instead, he kept up a normal working life while secretly robbing banks.
His first robbery came shortly before July 4, 2003, when a teller handed over nearly $11,000 in about 30 seconds. Over the next four months, he robbed nine more banks and took more than $60,000. He wore sunglasses, a hat, gloves, and a jumpsuit, and passed tellers a note claiming he had a gun. No one was hurt.
Police caught a break when a teller kept one of the demand notes. A fingerprint on it matched his 1984 arrest for driving while intoxicated. Officers arrested him in November 2003. In March 2004, he pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and received a nine-year sentence. His story later became a 48 Hours episode, “Stolen Dreams.”
Why This Role Fits Alexandra Daddario Right Now
Daddario has spent the past few years moving between prestige television and big-screen projects. She earned an Emmy nomination for the first season of The White Lotus, where she played Rachel Patton, a newlywed journalist questioning her marriage. She also leads Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches as Rowan Mayfair.
Daddario also stars in Hershey, about chocolate pioneer Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine “Kitty” Hershey. Daddario plays Kitty opposite Finn Wittrock as Milton, and the film opens on November 25. She will have two true-story films in the spotlight within weeks.
Christopher Walken plays Stephen’s father, a retired police officer. Photo: David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
The Long Island Bank Robber: Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | What We Know |
|---|---|
| Lead cast | Taylor Kitsch, Alexandra Daddario, Christopher Walken |
| Director | Matthew Gentile (American Murderer) |
| Based on | ‘Til Heist Do Us Part by Jeanne Callahan and Michael Harvey |
| Filming | Begins November 2026 in New Jersey |
| Release date | Not yet announced |
The Real Case: A Timeline
- Early 1990s: Jeanne Callahan meets Stephen Trantel; they marry in 1994.
- Fall 2001: Stephen loses his Wall Street job after the post-9/11 downturn and hides it.
- Summer 2003: First bank robbery, shortly before July 4: nearly $11,000 in about 30 seconds.
- July to November 2003: Nine more robberies. Total takings above $60,000.
- November 2003: A fingerprint on a demand note leads police to Trantel; he is arrested.
- March 2004: Trantel pleads guilty to three counts of first-degree robbery and gets nine years.
- 2010 / 2022: Jeanne publishes Disguised Blessings, then co-writes ‘Til Heist Do Us Part.
- November 2026: Deadline announces the film; filming begins in New Jersey.
What’s Next for The Long Island Bank Robber?
The biggest open question is distribution. The film is being sold to buyers at the American Film Market, so no studio or streamer has been announced yet. Filming starts this month, so a trailer and a release window are still a long way off. Meanwhile, the casting alone has put the project on the radar. Searches for the Alexandra Daddario Long Island Bank Robber film spiked within days of the announcement.
Daddario’s role is the one to watch. Jeanne Trantel is not a bystander. She lived with the secret, and the film’s logline makes her growing suspicion central to the drama. If the movie stays close to her book, her point of view could be its heart.
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