Acclaimed director and comedic force Richard Ayoade returned to the Sundance Film Festival with his dark doppelgänger thriller The Double, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska. During a press stop for the film, Ayoade leaned into his signature deadpan wit, claiming a “deep connection” and a burgeoning bromance with festival founder Robert Redford. The director joked that the Hollywood legend had given him a particularly warm welcome, playfully suggesting that their relationship had reached a level of intimacy rarely seen between filmmakers and the festival’s patriarch. This marked Ayoade’s second major appearance at the festival, following the success of his debut feature Submarine three years prior.