Forrest Gump Gets Big

Good morning: In today’s edition of The Industry, we look at:

Ryan Gosling’s brain food, Cate Blanchett’s secrets, Forrest Gump Gets Big, The Chronology of Kristen Stewart, and a vow of silence.

Let’s go!

FORREST GUMP GETS BIG

We’re infatuated with watching Tom Hanks grow up.

Whether it is literally in Big (1988) and Forrest Gump (1994) or emotionally in Cast Away (2000) and The Green Mile (1999).

Well, 3o years after Forrest Gump, the film’s director, Robert Zemeckis, and screenwriter Eric Roth reunite with the leads Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for Miramax’s Here. ​

Here is the official synopsis: ​

The story of a corner of a room and of the events that have occurred in that space over the course of hundreds of thousands of years.

In this film, the camera is locked in a single position for the duration of the movie while we watch Tom Hanks and Robin Wright grow old together:

• First date hug (de-aged ​still​)
• Married and moved in (​still​)
• Joyous 50th birthday (​still​)
• In their golden years (aged ​still​)

Zemeckis stated:

He continued:

For many decades Hanks’ boyishness allowed audiences to see their own immaturity reflected in his performances. It’ll be great to grow up with him again.

Here will be in theaters on November 27th.

For More:

No trailer for Here has been released, but check out a snippet of the graphic novel ​here​.

Big ​trailer​.

Forrest Gump ​trailer​.

THE INDUSTRY NEWS

Alfonso Cuarón’s Apple TV series, ​Disclaimer​, will be released this October. It’s the first project he’s directed since Roma (2018).

Here’s the official synopsis:

Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Cate Blanchett) builds her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets.

As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Sacha Baron Cohen) and their son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Cuaron tweeted a Discalimer*:

Cuaron’s work has bridged from the deeply sensual verite of Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) to a string of sci-fi/fantasies: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Children of Men (2006), Gravity (2013). His latest Roma was a pivot to a more personal sensibility. It’ll be interesting to see if this new series defines a new direction in his career.

Here’s a first look ​image​ of Blanchett– she looks caught.

Amazon MGM Studios has secured the rights to I Used to Eat Brains, Now I Eat Kale, a zombie feature based on a short story by The Cooper Twins.

The film is set in a post-post-apocalyptic world where former zombies strive to reintegrate into society. Ryan Gosling and Jessie Henderson will produce under their General Admission banner, part of their first-look deal with the studio. Although initial reports suggested Gosling might star, that has not yet been confirmed. No clear date for production starting, but the screenplay is being worked on currently by the book’s original Authors, The Cooper Twins.

Amazon MGM Studios just dropped a trailer for Red One, their $250 M Christmas action movie starring Dwayne Johnson.

Here’s the synopsis:

After a shocking abduction from the North Pole, the Commander of the E.L.F. Task Force must partner with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter to save Christmas.

The ​trailer​ seems both magical and devoid of life. A recent report detailed Dwayne Johnson’s perpetual lateness and degrading behavior on the set, leading to a ​$50 M increase​ in the budget.

Release date: Nov. 15

The Academy invites 487 people to become members. Here are some well-deserved highlights:

Actors:

• Swann Arlaud, Anatomy of a Fall
• Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
• Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
• Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
• Greta Lee – Past Lives
  • Just cast in Kathryn Bigelow’s new Netflix film

Directors:

• Justin Chon, Blue Bayou
• Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
• A.V. Rockwell, A Thousand and One
• Celine Song, Past Lives
• Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

56% of the potential new inductees are from 56 countries outside the US, in the Academy’s push to make the Oscars more international.

Full list of invited members ​here​.

Tidbit:

HBO shines some light on their newest DC show, Lanterns: announced way back when James Gunn’s ​first DCU address​. The pitch has always been something along the lines of True Detective in space, following two Green Lanterns, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, as they watch over Earth and discover a “terrifying mystery”, that ties into a larger DCU plot point.

With a pitch like that, it should be surprising that Chris Mundy, who previously was the showrunner for Ozark and True Detective: Night Country, will be taking the helm on Lanterns. It will be interesting to see how Gunn’s commitment to grounded storytelling in his DCU will gel with the gritty HBO detective fair. Seems like a very intriguing kickoff.

Lanterns will be launching sometime next summer, relatively the same time as the new Superman will hit theatres.

IATSE reaches a ​tentative agreement​ with AMPTP. Deal points include:

• Rate increases over the 3 years
• Hourly workers will receive triple time after 15 hrs
• AI protections

The tentage agreement includes:

An exhaustive summary of the tentative agreement will be published in a few days.

THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT

Hugh Grant is terrifying in A24’s Heretic.

Heretic shows two Christian missionaries invited into the house of Mr. Reed (Grant), who quickly realize that the sinister homeowner isn’t about to let them leave.

The British character actor, predominantly known for his comedic timing, nonchalant sarcasm, and irrepressible charm in mostly romcoms, has taken significant risks in diversifying his portfolio in the later years of his long career.

Grant’s most recent credits include:

• The Gentlemen (2019)
  • Played a sleazy and seedy private investigator in Guy Ritchie’s action film
  • ​Trailer​
• Wonka (2023)
  • Opposite Timothée Chalamet as an oompa loompa in the musical movie
  • ​Clip​
• Unfrosted (2024)
  • Was the unappreciated Tony the Tiger mascot in Jerry Seinfeld’s Breakfast tale
  • ​Trailer​

While the upcoming A24 horror will technically be a first in the genre for Grant he did give a critically acclaimed performance as an unlikable hotheaded man accused of murder in the chilling HBO miniseries The Undoing (2020).

Heretic comes from writer-director duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, whose breakthrough film the silent thriller A Quiet Place (2018) led to several sequels with their more recent screenplay for The Boogeyman (2023) remake just as successful.

Watch the unsettling Heretic ​trailer​ here ahead of its theatrical release this November.

You can’t keep these two brothers apart! Actors ​Dominic Purcell​ and ​Wentworth Miller​ are set to star as the leads of Snatchback, a new hostage drama in development at Universal Television.

The two actors previously starred as brothers in the hit Fox drama Prison Break (2006-2009, 2017) (​trailer​) that saw Purcell’s Lincoln Burrows sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and Miller’s Michael Scofield who devises an elaborate plan to help him escape from behind bars before it’s too late.

The duo has also worked together in the Netflix CW shows The Flash (2014-2023) and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2021) as supervillains Heat Wave (Purcell) and Captain Cold (Miller).

Taking on more heroic roles, Snatchback is said to be inspired by the life of a real covert intelligence officer who is still active in the field today, the series will follow a highly skilled privately contracted team of operatives as they recover hostages across the globe from some of the most exotic, and equally dangerous locations on the planet.

Scott Rosenbaum most known for his work on FX’s The Shield (2002-2008) will serve as writer and EP on Snatchback.

The drama as of now has not yet landed with a network.

Tidbit:

​Bill Camp​ was just cast in A24’s Huntington, directed by John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal):

Camp has played across so many incredible projects:

• Birdman (2014)
  • ​Crazy man/street thespian​
• Joker (2019)
  • ​Detective​ who encounters Phoenix on an off night

Camp is recently excellent in Presumed Innocent, playing Jake Gyllenhaal’s best friend, who is pressured to become Gyllenhaal’s lawyer. Camp undergoes psychologically degrading nightmares of the alleged crime.

FESTIVALS

IFC Films buys ​Armand​, which played in Uncertain Regard at Cannes (first look ​clip​). The film stars Renate Reinsve, who won Best Actress at Cannes for The Worst Person in the World (2021).

Janus Films buys ​​Caught by the Tides​, an Official Selection at Cannes (first look ​clip​). The film is directed by ​Jia Zhangke​, a true master of cinema; see: ​Ash Is Purest White​. Caught by the Tides centers on a Chinese woman who lives to herself in silence, celebrating the prosperous Belle Epoque with songs and dance.

INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT

BondIt Media Capital secured a ​$60 million credit​ facility from Keystone National Group, with an option to increase to $100 million. This aims to refinance an existing facility critical to BondIt’s growth.

Keystone’s managing directors said:

BondIt packages and finances while it’s sister company Buffalo 8 serves as physical production from pre to post to distribution.

The companies have put out a massive quantity of films (313, Buffalo and 264 Bondit).

Their best include:

• Little Men (2016)
• BlacKkKlansman (2018)
• The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
• Clerks III (2022)

Keystone has been a key asset to Bondit’s ability to finance so many projects and this new credit facility will allow them to continue to flourish.

Fremantle inks a first-look deal with Kristen Stewart and her company, Nevermind Pictures. The deal is not a total surprise, Stewart has worked with Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín (producer: Spencer), who just ​renewed​ their own first-look deal with the company.

Fremantle has first looks with:

• Luca Guadagnino (dir: Call Me By Your Name, Challengers)
• Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty)
• Angelina Jolie
• Rachel Weisz
• Edward Berger (dir: All Quiet on the Western Front)

Stewart stated:

No word if they will take on Stewart’s The Chronology of Water, a film which she recently ​threatened to quit acting​ over unless she was allowed to direct.

ON THIS DAY

1925. The Gold Rush, directed, starring and written by Charlie Chaplin, is released.

See you Thursday.

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Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.

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Editor: ​Gabriel Miller​.