Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Feature Cover Story on A24’s A Different Man features an exclusive interview with the director, who made me question how I see myself.
In The Industry News, Apple’s new femme fatale, Lionsgate, gets into bed with AI and Sony’s Valentine’s Day serial killer movie.
Actor Spotlight: Elijah Wood goes Swiss Army Man, and A24 hops into Shark Tank.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight, Zach Cregger (dir: Barbarian) can’t get a Clue.
International News, Netflix launches quartet of Brazilian films and France’s surprise Oscar submission.
Let’s go!
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Our self-image is shaped by how people see us.
That crippling notion is the territory of A24’s latest horror, A Different Man.
The movie tracks a struggling actor (Sebastian Stan) who undergoes facial reconstructive surgery but ends up on a myopic path of self-destruction.
I sat down with director Aaron Schimberg at the A24 office to understand his perspective on the supposedly unattainable idea of self-acceptance.
Schimberg recounted:
“The film is about our self-definition and how we keep our sense of self in the face of other people's judgment, especially if other people's judgments is negative overall. If everybody finds you defective or hates you, how do you maintain your dignity, in the face of that.”
Each act of the film plays with this notion as Sebastian Stan shifts how he views himself. His face, just like his identity, is a malleable entity that is simply a reflection of those around him.
The beautiful irony of all this is that Stan’s new physical attractiveness brings a wave of people to connect with him but only on the most superficial of levels.
At the start of the second act, he trades real friends for fake colleagues.
The lauding of his new looks leads to immense self-loathing because he is not valued in a deep and meaningful way.
Schimberg expanded:
“The way we judge others is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. So if you hate somebody, you're projecting in some way. So I literalized that in the film, Edward (Stan) is looking at Oswald (Adam Pearson). And we know what he's thinking about, he's thinking about himself. To me it was a Trojan horse for how we think about disfigurement.”
The film shows us that we can escape the hall of mirrors that society holds up if we can find self-acceptance.
We set ourselves free—no masks needed.
For More:
A24’s A Different Man opens today, September 19th. Check out the trailer here.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Jon Watt's Disney Deal: Jon Watts (Wolfs, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and his company, Freshman Year, have signed a first-look feature deal with Disney. This one is kind of a given with Spiderman’s billion-dollar success and Watt's involvement in Star Wars Skeleton Crew, among other projects. Disney can't let him get away.
Apple, following a series of highly competitive negotiations, has landed new femme fatale thriller, Off Season, headlined by Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman, 2020) also producing through her Aluna Entertainment.
There is no director yet attached and all that has been announced regarding the plot is that it will take place “in a luxury resort on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera”.
Following its recent premiere at TIFF, Kirby can be seen next in Ron Howard’s star-studded thriller, Eden. Apple has a slew of projects lined up with their next Clooney-Pitt action comedy, Wolfs, premiering this Friday, Sept. 20th, in theaters.
Lionsgate + AI. Lionsgate has partnered with Runway AI. It’s a monumental public-facing move in a battle to pump out content as quickly as the human race can consume it to compete against the next failing studio.
Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns stated:
“Several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process. We view AI as a great tool for augmenting, enhancing, and supplementing our current operations.”
There’s a massive vagueness in this statement, but let’s assume that “supplementing” means supplementing human creativity. Will that make Lionsgate’s films better? It will certainly cut down on whatever development dollars exist, but at what cost? If Lionsgate decides to help Runway AI train its models off its tremendous library of content, we enter into the dangerous territory of a feedback loop that can only create weak simulacras on what it is fed.
Tidbit:
Just a week before Valentine’s Day, Sony will be releasing Heart Eyes, a new romcom from Spyglass.
Synopsis:
When the Heart Eyes Killer strikes Seattle, a pair of co-workers pulling overtime on Valentine’s Day are mistaken for a couple by the elusive couple-hunting killer. Now they must spend the most romantic night of the year running for their lives.
Actor/director Josh Ruben’s Heart Eyes is expected to have a theatrical premiere Feb. 2025.
Prime Video has greenlit Scarpetta, a crime drama based on Patricia Cornwell's two best-selling novels. The series will star Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta and Jamie Lee Curtis as her sister, Dorothy Scarpetta. The series, produced by Blumhouse Television and Amazon MGM Studios, will start with a two-season order.
Are you still watching? It turns out that ads might be hurting the bottom line. A new study by Digital i found that Netflix’s ad-free subscribers watch 40 percent more content daily than those on ad-supported plans. No word yet on what Netflix will do with this info, if anything at all.
ABC has released the trailer for Ryan Murphy’s (Glee, AMHS) new nautical medical drama Doctor Odyssey, starring Joshua Jackson as the lead. The series follows Max, a doctor aboard a luxury cruise ship, as he and his team tackle unique medical crises while navigating the dynamics of life at sea, with co-stars including Sean Teale, Don Johnson, and Phillipa Soo.
Doctor Odyssey premieres on Sept. 26 and streams on Hulu the following day.
Nice Try Diddy: Investigation Discovery is producing a new docuseries about the rise and fall of Sean "Diddy" Combs, focusing on the abuse, assault, and illegal activity allegations that have followed him for years. Following his recent arrest on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, highlighting the disturbing tales of his "Freak Off" Parties.
The EP behind Wheel of Time (2021) and CEO of Onphaya, Rick Selvage, is collaborating with seasoned photographer, Norman Seeff, for two upcoming television programs that will focus on “the power of music”.
Seef, who began his career as a graphic designer and has gone on to publish several photography books, his next project, The Collected Works of Norman Seeff, is currently in development.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Elijah Wood’s next magical adventure is with his daughter.
Wood stars again in frequent collaborator Ant Timpson's newest film, Bookworm.
Here’s the official synopsis:
11-year-old Mildred's world is turned upside-down when her estranged father, the washed-up magician Strawn Wise (Wood), comes to look after her and agrees to take her camping to find a mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.
The new trailer shows Wood as a meloncholy illusionist who is ignited by performing for his daughter. There’s a bit of a Swiss Army Man vibe to it.
Bookworm arrives in theatres on October 18th.
Gabrielle Union may be producing a lot these days, but she’s still acting, too! Union (The Inspection, 2022) is set to produce and star in an upcoming horror film, The Casket Girls, from Get Out producer QC Entertainment and director Justin Dyck (Anything for Jackson).
The film takes place in today’s world as Detective Shay Williams (Union) and her partner become trapped inside the Ursuline Convent with a group of tourists when the Casket Girls escape from their attic prison for the first time in over 300 years.
Inspired by true events from the 1700s, a group of French women who were sent to marry colonists in New Orleans were blamed for the rise of homicides in the city, fearing being nonhuman. They were then all imprisoned in an attic locked away in the heart of the French Quarter for the rest of their lives.
With the impressive talents of Union, the quality company backing with QC (BlacKkKlansman) and with Dyck’s experience in the genre with his most recent film (Anything for Jackson trailer) this seems to be a very fitting collaboration.
Marc Maron—In Memoriam: Though perhaps best known for his stand-up comedy and podcast WTF, in recent years, Marc has stood out as a fairly capable actor. But he is not yet completely fully acknowledged, not yet nominated for an Emmy or Golden Globe, though he did take home a few awards for his role in Netflix's Glow. His next project might pick up on that outsider feeling.
In Memoriam follows a veteran actor (Maron) obsessed with securing a spot in the Oscars' "In Memoriam" montage after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis.
A dark but funny look at ego, humility, and legacy. It will be directed by Rob Burnett, and produced by Invention studios.
It begins shooting in Hollywood this October.
Tidbit:
Kevin O’Leary is ready for his A24 premiere. Yes, Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank, who clearly went to anger therapy for the later sessions, has found his way into a role in A24’s ping-pong hustler film Marty Supreme.
Wonder if he gets royatlies.
Liam Neeson is a lackie who has an existential crisis. That’s the gist of his latest film, Absolution, which delivers on his patented Taken badass-ness but also stops to think about a path to redemption (trailer). Samuel Goldwyn Films is releasing November 1st.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Zach Cregger’s horror Barbarian (2022, trailer) leaped beyond just the horror genre and took the whole world by storm making everyone ridiculously scared to stay in an Airbnb for years, grossing an unexpected $45 M at the box office.
Cregger is now in talks to direct Sony’s remake of Clue, based on the classic murder mystery board game. Jonathan Lynn’s previous film adaptation the 1985 Clue (trailer), which famously starred Tim Curry as the butler, has a large loyal following.
Synopsis:
Six guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.
Set to premiere in early 2026, Cregger’s next highly anticipated film, Weapons was bought for $38 M from Warner Bros/New Line and has an A list cast with Josh Brolin (Sicario), Julia Garner (Ozark), and Brian Tyree Henry (Bullet Train) to name a few involved.
Synopsis:
An interrelated, multistory horror epic about the disappearance of high school students in a small town.
With many setting their expectations high, we will have to wait until 2026 to see if Weapons makes for a compelling followup to the insanity that was Barbarian.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Netflix launches quartet of Brazilian films:
Plot: An endearing stray dog embarks on an extraordinary journey, forging unlikely friendships and overcoming obstacles.
The Son of a Thousand Men
Plot: Crisóstomo, a lonely and childless fisherman who dreams of becoming a father. He meets Camilo, an orphaned boy, and decides to raise him, creating an unconventional family.
Plot: A 75-year-old woman who must confront the death (and the speculations about the potential suicide) of her son, who was the bus driver son and all the passengers after the crowded bus falls from a bridge. Vicentina decides to embark on a journey to seek out the victims' families to apologize.
Untitled Family Comedy
Plot: A father is forced to travel with his family to Bariloche, Argentina, to meet his daughter’s Argentine fiancé.
Gabriel Gurman, director of Netflix films in Brazil stated:
“We want audiences to find a wide variety of high-quality Brazilian films that resonate with different viewers. Our goal is to showcase the creative potential and diversity of national cinema, helping cultivate an audience that values locally made productions.”
Netflix’s mote of international content is slowly being encroached on by the rest of the streamers who are making forays into expanding their global content.
International Oscar Submissions:
France submits Cannes Prize winner Emilia Perez
Spain submits Saturn Return
Poland submits Under the Volcano
ON THIS DAY
1987. 12th Toronto International Film Festival: The Princess Bride, directed by Rob Reiner, wins the People's Choice Award.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
We’re off for the next few days. We’ll see you on Tuesday!
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