Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Paramount’s Joe, Lionsgate’s Show, and a Bicycle Thief.
Let’s go!
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$205M at the box office, and he just launched a theatrical distribution and streaming service.
Check out my interview with EKKL Entertainment founder Michael Scott: https://theindustry.co/p/ekkl-entertainment-founder-michael
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Danny McBride’s feature directorial debut is Paramount’s new G.I. Joe film.
Banijay and Mediawan circle a potential acquisition of Lionsgate.
Amazon develops London underground-rave drama Code.
The FCC proposes replacing the national TV-ownership cap.
Versant will relaunch Fandango at Home as a free streaming service.
Gabriel Luna joins Dexter: Resurrection S2 as a serial killer.
Jason Schwartzman and Kate Mara join Netflix’s Vegas drama The Roman.
America Ferrera and Kit Harington star in Channel 4 thriller Army of Shadows.
Jessica Alba boards Netflix’s upcoming 13 Going on 30 reboot.
Daniel Radcliffe and Peter Dinklage voice Netflix’s animated film Steps.
Hannah Waddingham co-stars in meta action-comedy Jason Statham Stole My Bike.
The Venice Film Festival unveils its Immersive lineup.
PBS’s Independent Lens acquires four documentaries.
SkyShowtime announces Spanish murder-mystery series Death in Llanes.
Yesterday’s correct answer: George Clooney played Michael Clayton.
88% got it correct.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Paramount gets a new judge. For today’s preliminary injunction, Paramount has successfully gotten Judge P. Casey Pitts recused from the case against them, the one filed by the 12 state AGs. Their complaint is that Pitts was the longstanding counsel for the WGA (the guild also sued to block the merger). Now, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín will preside over the case. Although I don’t expect her to be much more lenient.
At the same time, a Paramount shareholder, Paul Robbins, is suing David and Larry Ellison for colluding with Trump.
It’s going to be one battle after another, as the chances of Paramount closing this transaction by September 30, 2026, are starting to look less certain. That’s a key date: if the deal doesn’t close by then, Paramount will owe WBD $0.25/share every quarter ($650M/quarter).
Paramount Skydance moves forward with its new G.I. Joe film. Danny McBride (wri: The Righteous Gemstones) has written the script, and now he will direct. That’s a great gig for McBride as it will be his feature directorial debut.
The first two G.I. Joe films in the franchise grossed $675M WW on a combined budget of $305M. They’re not great pieces of art, but they have been graced by many artists. Jon M. Chu directed the second film, and Channing Tatum acted in both.
Lionsgate for sale! Ever since the split from Starz back in May 2025, Lionsgate has been angling for a sale. And now two of the largest media companies in Europe are circling:
Banijay
$5.6bn annual rev
Assets: 130 production companies
260,000 hours of content
Recently acquired: All3Media
Biggest hits: Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror, The Traitors, and MasterChef
Mediawan
$1.5bn annual rev
Assets: 100+ Production Companies, including Brad Pitt’s Plan B
Recently acquired: Peter Chernin’s North Road Company
Biggest hits: F1, Adolescence, Slow Horses, UK’s Love Is Blind
Lionsgate would be very tasty to either party; they release 12 films theatrically per year, with their last film, Michael, making $1bn. And they have a new Hunger Games film this year, with the franchise making $3.3bn worldwide so far. They also have a 20,000-title film and TV library to boot.
Tidbits:
Amazon is giving London’s underground rave scene the TV treatment. Code is a new series being written by Industry director Ed Lilly and produced by Daisy Jones & The Six showrunner Will Graham. An “euphoric” coming-of-age, the show will follow an American girl who falls in love with a young entrepreneur who decides to open a London nightclub with her. Casting is ongoing. The series is the first in Amazon MGM Studios’ first-look pact with Graham’s Invitation Media (Trust the Man).
The FCC is proposing a new rule that could revive the blocked Nexstar-Tegna merger. If adopted, the new rule would replace the current 39% cap on the share of U.S. TV households that a single broadcaster can reach. If approved by the FCC, Nexstar-Tegna would reach 80% of US TV households.
Comcast spinoff Versant is relaunching its free streaming service “Fandango At Home” as “Fandango”, expanding its library with premium films, TV, sports, and originals. With more than 50M monthly users, it is trying to battle free streamers like Tubi and Pluto.
New York production spend in Q2 2026 is up a remarkable 57% to $1.58bn total. Remarkably, Georgia’s is down 43% to $405M.
DO NOT SNOOZE ON THIS FILM:
Amazon MGM’s I Play Rocky
Cast: Anthony Ippolito
Release: Nov 20
Trailer:
Kino Lorber’s Filipiñana
Release: Aug 28
First Look:
Apple TV’s Where’s Wanda? S2
Release: Oct 21
Big Shot Pictures: Alvin and the Chipmunks
Release: Late 2028
Release Dates:
Neon’s All of a Sudden
Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Premiere: Cannes
Winer: Cannes Best Actress
Release: Nov 25
Netflix’s documentary The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare
Release: July 29
FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia S18
Release: Aug 17
Netflix’s ice-bath interview show Cold as Balls
Cast: Kevin Hart
Release: Fall 2026
Paramount+’s The Challenge: Cutthroat
Release: Aug 5
Release dates pushed:
Warner Bros’ The Batman Part II
Dir: Matt Reeves
Cast: Robert Pattinson
Release: Oct 1, 2027 → Feb 18, 2028
Warner Bros’ The Great Beyond
Dir: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega
Release: Nov 13, 2026 → Oct 1, 2027
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Dexter Morgan has a new nightmare waiting for him. Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has joined season two of Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection. Luna will play serial killer Ray Ballard, otherwise known as “The Sleepy-Eyed Stranger.”
In HBO’s The Last of Us, Luna plays Tommy Miller, the ferociously loyal brother to Pedro Pascal’s Joel. Tommy’s moral compass gradually erodes, unlike his brother, due to his inability to accept the ruthless and inhumane means needed to survive the apocalyptic wasteland.
While Tommy’s arc continues to grow in darkness, Luna showed early on the character’s buried capacity for violence, much like a methodical serial killer. The emotional complexity Luna can bring to troubled characters should make Ray Ballard far more than just another killer for Dexter to hunt.
Production on Dexter: Resurrection season two is ongoing in New York.
Jason Schwartzman
Kate Mara
Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket / Daredevil)
Clancy Brown (Shawshank Guard / Sal in HBO’s The Penguin)
This quartet has been cast in The Roman, Netflix’s Vegas drama. Each of these actors, on their own, can be quite endearing or terrifying (see that side of Mara in House of Cards and Schwartzman in Mountainhead). So their chemistry has an unpredictability much like the roulette table.
The eight-episode drama will focus on the president of the hottest hotel/casino on the Strip (Oscar Isaac), with back-door negotiations and high-stakes power plays. EP’d by Scorsese and created by Ocean’s Thirteen writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien.
Barbie meets Game of Thrones? Channel 4’s thriller series Army of Shadows casts Oscar-nominated actress America Ferrera, Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington, and Paddy Considine, who played the terribly missed Viserys in HBO’s ongoing spinoff The House of the Dragon.
Written by Ronan Bennett (The Day of the Jackal), the new series reimagines an occupied, near-future Britain following a former soldier who builds a covert resistance cell recruiting people to reclaim their country and their futures.
While Harington and Considine are right at home, the six-part British thriller is new territory for Ferrera, who is working with Channel 4 and Canal+ for the first time.
Tidbits:
Jessica Alba wants to be “thirty, flirty, and thriving!” The Trigger Warning actress is set to join Netflix’s upcoming 13 Going on 30 reboot from director Brett Haley (People We Meet on Vacation). While specific character descriptions and story details are being kept secret, the sequel is said to be a modern take on the 2004 cult favorite film about a 13-year-old girl who magically wakes up as her 30-year-old self. Production is ongoing in Los Angeles.
Ella Anderson (the daughter in Song Sung Blue) has Conviction. Anderson joins the cast of Hulu’s Conviction, a legal drama starring Elisabeth Moss from creator David Shore (House). No word on Anderson’s role, but she had an endearing quality in Song Sung Blue that was quite magical.
Daniel Radcliffe, Young Mazino (Beef S1), and Peter Dinklage join the cast of Netflix’s Steps. The animated feature will be a reimagining of the classic Cinderella story, as one of the evil stepsisters of Cinderella gets hold of the Fairy Godmother’s magic wand to wreak havoc. While voice acting has been a relatively small part of Radcliffe’s career, he surely has experience voicing a royal, like his part in King Jeremy Fitzhogg in Netflix’s Mulligan. His versatile tone, ranging from soft to threatening, could be well-suited to a Prince Charming in this twisted version of Cinderella.
Emmy-winning Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) joins David Leitch’s (Dir: Bullet Train) action-comedy Jason Statham Stole My Bike, alongside Jason Statham. No info on the plot or Waddingham’s role, but the film will be a meta comedy piece where Jason Statham plays the role of global action superstar Jason Statham. Waddingham is the perfect foil for Statham, who will likely be playing an exaggerated version of himself. Statham could be the ever-so-serious action superstar with a big ego, and Waddingham could play someone who could break his macho facade.
More casting tidbits:
Luke Wilson
Vanessa Hudgens
Aimee Lou Wood
Michael Gandolfini
All those tidbits and more here.
FESTIVALS AND DOCS
Strap on your headsets and head to Venice! The Venice Film Festival announces its Immersive selection.
Highlights include:
Nevatars
Dir: Andy Serkis
Voice Cast: Daisy Ridley
The Last Eden
Voice Cast: Margot Robbie
Here’s the full breakdown.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The award-winning PBS series, Independent Lens, has picked up four new docs to be featured in its 28th season. The lineup spans topics from agriculture and civil rights to disability advocacy and fading traditions, continuing the long-running series spotlighting timely nonfiction stories from around the world.
Jane Elliott Against the World
Dir: Judd Ehrlich (Tribeca’s Keepers of the Game)
Premiere: Sundance
Official Synopsis:
Educator Jane Elliott faced decades of backlash and national debate over her 1968 classroom experiment. At age 90, she refuses to back down from the fight for racial justice.
Seeds
Dir: Brittany Shyne (cinematographer for The Debutantes)
Premiered at Sundance
Official Synopsis:
A look into the lives of Black generational farmers, unveiling the challenges of maintaining legacy and the value of land ownership.
My Omaha
Dir: Nick Beaulieu (PBS’ American Portrait)
Grand Jury Prize nominee for Best Doc feature at Slamdance
Official Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of Omaha’s racial justice movement, a filmmaker navigates the deep political and emotional divide separating him from his dying, conservative father.
The Other Side of Memory
Dir: Nick Capezzera
Premiered at Tribeca
Official Synopsis:
Spanning from New England to Seoul, a Korean adoptee’s decade-long hunt for the truth behind his abandonment redefines what it means to belong.
Independent Lens will return to PBS this fall.
Mini Tidbits:
Idris Elba’s production company
SkyShowtime’s Spanish series
Singapore Sci-fi
All those and more here.
ON THIS DAY
1967. Will Ferrell born in Irvine, California
Written by Gabriel Miller, Madelyn Menapace, and Tony Jaeyeong Jeong.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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