Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Adam Driver’s Dawn, Zach Cherry’s horror, and a cult favorite.
Let’s go!
If you enjoy today’s edition, please hit the like button or leave a comment.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Ron Howard directs war drama Alone at Dawn, starring Adam Driver & Anne Hathaway.
Jason Bateman to direct John Grisham adaptation The Partner, with Tom Holland.
Warner Bros. & Plan B adapt Mark Ronson’s memoir Night People.
Michiel Blanchart (Night Call) to helm Final Destination 7.
Sony hires Louie Provost as EVP of Production.
HBO dropping CNN live stream Nov. 17.
Paramount set to acquire The Free Press for $150M.
Zach Cherry & Kali Reis star in Sony’s Resident Evil (dir. Zach Cregger).
Obits: Jim Mitchum (84), Remo Girone (76), Patricia Routledge (96), Kimberly Hébert Gregory (52).
Passage Pictures (White Noise, Tesla) acquires The Talented Miss Farwell for feature adaptation.
Richard Linklater EPs Austin-set neo-noir Deep Eddy.
Gravity Squared acquires Barbara Cartland’s library for screen adaptations.
Maigret adaptation sells widely.
Pimienta Films (Fincher’s The Killer) boards Mexican drama Lux Noctis.
Ron Howard has two heavy hitters for his new film, Alone at Dawn.
Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway will star in the War drama based on real events chronicled in the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz.
The book and film tell the true story of Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman, who sacrificed his life during the Afghanistan War to save fellow soldiers. Driver, a former Marine, will play Chapman while Hathaway portrays the intelligence officer who fought to secure his Medal of Honor years later.
This film has all the makings of an operatic, yet profoundly grounded real-life story writ large, a la Apollo 13. And if it ends up soaring to those heights, it would come at a great time for Howard. The director has had dual misses with Eden and, sadly, under-the-radar Thirteen Lives.
With Driver and Hathaway at the helm, it already starts creating award season possibilities even though it hasn’t yet started filming.
Tom Holland finds his partner.
Jason Bateman is in talks to direct Universal’s The Partner, starring and produced by Holland. This is an adaptation of John Grisham’s best-selling legal/thriller novel of the same name.
Here’s the synopsis:
A lawyer (Holland) from New Orleans steals $90M from his law firm after he fakes his own death. What was thought to be a flawless plan, leads him into a bigger web of problems, where he is tortured and charged with capital murder.
Bottom line is that Jason Bateman’s best work always involves torture. On the comedic side, check out his directorial debut, Bad Words (Focus Features, 2013), where he tormented a bunch of grade schoolers by entering into spelling bees (trailer). Lately, he’s gone dramatic, directing 9 episodes of Netflix’s Ozark, including the first episode, which puts Bateman face-to-face with a sadistic drug lord (clip).
No word on shoot dates, but Oscar-winning The Imitation Game (2014) screenwriter Graham Moore is penning the script.
The next Final Destination film (#7) will be directed by a second-time feature director.
Michiel Blanchart is the lucky filmmaker. You may know him for his directorial debut Night Call, which follows Mady (Jonathan Feltre), a Brussels locksmith whose routine job turns perilous. Responding to an emergency call, he becomes entangled with a dangerous woman who stole from the wrong guy, played with complexity by Romain Duris.
The trailer mixes heart-pounding action with a frenetic pace as Mady runs for his life.
I can see why Blanchart is in final talks for the film. Night Call juices a small budget for extreme emotions and heart-pounding action. All with a great stylization that just barely avoids being cheesy. And if that’s not close to the DNA of the last Final Destination film, which made a series high of $314.6M at the box office, I don’t know what is.
Tidbits:
Brad Pitt’s Plan B is now joined by Warner Bros in adapting Mark Ronson’s coming-of-age reference-filled memoir Night People: How to Be a DJ in ‘90s New York City. In an apparent highly competitive situation, Warner Bros. is once again working with Plan B, who’ve collaborated on F1, Mickey 17, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The award-winning producer and musician’s recently released memoir immediately became a NYT bestseller and is in the very early stages of development.
Sony Pictures has brought on Louie Provost as EVP of Production. Previously, Provost served 15 years at Disney, overseeing major box office successes like the $1bn grossing Lilo & Stitch (2025) and Aladdin (2019). Bringing plenty of franchise experience, Provost will play a key role in bolstering Sony’s mix of big-budget and original projects.
Mini Tidbit:
HBO will stop carrying CNN live-stream on Nov. 17. CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. This is happening because HBO plans to replace it with a new news streaming product.
Fox’s Tubi acquires BBC’s Boarders Season 3. The show will be available on Tubi in the US, Canada, and LATAM. If you want to check out the show, here’s the second season trailer.
Three-part docuseries, Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar, is being produced by Kim Kardashian to air on Fox Nation today. Fremantle will handle international distribution with the docuseries following one of the twentieth century’s most glamorous women.
David Ellison’s Paramount is set to acquire The Free Press for $150M. Bari Weiss (creator: The Free Press) is expected to become CBS’s Editor-in-Chief. Full breakdown here: https://theindustry.co/p/paramount-free-press
Renewal:
Prime’s Ballard (for S2)
Cancellation:
Fox’s The Great North
Trailer:
Warner Bros. The Family McMullen
Sequel to The Brothers McMullen
Original director Edward Burns returns
Release: Oct 15
Release dates:
Searchlight’s The Testament of Ann Lee
Release: Dec. 25 (70MM)
Netflix’s Famous Last Words (doc)
Subject: Dr. Jane Goodall
On Netflix now
Mubi’s Below The Clouds
Dir: Gianfranco Rosi
Premiere: Venice
Release: Q1 2026
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Cherry and Reis go full horror.
Zach Cherry, who is just sensational in Severance as the grand meanderer, is going to co-star in the upcoming iteration of Resident Evil from Zach Cregger and Sony. In Severance, the surreal, extreme states of company pressure force Cherry into horrible scenarios (see above).
Also joining Resident Evil is Kali Reis, who shows a lot of heart in Bleecker Street’s Rebuilding, but is also best known for True Detective S3. In the show, Reis is perpetually paralyzed by these flashes of a horrific event.
So both actors are well primed to enter the horror genre. And the territory of Cregger’s post-Weapons creation is bound to be terrifying.
Cherry will play a scientist working in a hospital, and Reis will play a former military. Sony’s Resident Evil reboot will play in theaters September 2026.
Tidbits:
Saturday Night Live’s Vanessa Bayer is one of many joining ABC’s highly anticipated Scrubs reboot. Bayer will portray Sibby, who “runs a wellness program for faculty and staff at Sacred Heart Hospital”. Bayer has popped up in a number of memorable supportive roles, such as the quirky psychic in this summer’s Freakier Friday (clip) and Amy Schumer’s best friend in Trainwreck (2015), with Scrubs marking her return to TV. An exact release date has not been announced.
Indie Comedy Souvenir, directed by David Ketterer Spencer (Charlotte at the Drug Store), adds:
Ruby Cruz (The Sex Lives of College Girls)
Eric Berryman (A Complete Unknown, Fallout)
Janeane Garofalo (Wet Hot American Summer)
The story follows two old friends whose attempt to return a lost wallet becomes a daylong odyssey.
The third and final season of HBO’s The Comeback casts The White Lotus’ (S1) Brittany O’Grady, along with six others, as recurring characters. Most recently, O’Grady had a large role as a congressional aide in Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming political thriller A House of Dynamite. The Comeback is in the middle of production.
Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Wire, The Old Man) joins Chicago Med Season 11 as Sharon Goodwin’s son, David. The new season highlights Goodwin’s personal life post-trauma. The long-running show will be celebrating its 200th episode on October 8. -Teaser Trailer.
Obits:
Jim Mitchum, son of legendary actor Robert Mitchum, has died at 84. Best remembered for stepping into his father’s shoes in Thunder Road (1958), he built a steady career with roles in Moonrunners (the inspiration for The Dukes of Hazzard), The Born Losers (1967), Blackout (1978, scene), and many more. Retiring in 1992, Mitchum leaves behind a quiet but distinctive mark on Hollywood’s mid-century era.
Italian actor Remo Girone, famed for La Piovra and Ford v Ferrari, has died at 76. Girone’s career spanned stage and screen since the 1970s. He earned lifetime honors from Venice and Flaiano festivals and is survived by his wife, Victoria Zinny.
Dame Patricia Routledge, a celebrated British actress best known as Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances (clip), has died at 96. Her career spanned theater, television, and musicals, leaving behind a legacy of wit and timeless comedic precision.
Kimberly Hébert Gregory (Vice Principals, Clip) has died at 52. Her career spanned film, TV, and voice work, including Barry, The Chi, and Craig of the Creek.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT AND FESTIVALS
Producer Uri Singer and his Passage Pictures (Netflix’s White Noise) acquire The Talented Miss Farwell, a cult favorite novel by Emily Gray Tedrowe. Catch Me If You Can meets The Talented Mr. Ripley, the novel is a piercing character story inspired by the true and unforgettable life of a female con artist, Becky Farwell.
Passage Pictures has a long history of acquiring literary works, particularly acclaimed novels and nonfiction books, and bringing them to the screen, with The Talented Miss Farwell the next in an impressive catalog.
Richard Linklater has signed on as EP on Deep Eddy.
This is Temple Baker’s Austin-shot neo-noir debut, previously having worked as an actor for multiple Linklater projects, including Everybody Wants Some.
Deep Eddy is one hell of a debut and show of support from one of the greats. Following washed-up writer Eddy O’Neill (Baker) chasing a kidnapped lover through the city’s underbelly. Cast includes Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya), Sasha Lane, Hassie Harrison, and Gabriel Luna (Andor). An exciting spotlight for a popular but relatively untapped city, film-wise.
Mini Tidbits:
Queen of Romance, prolific British author Barbara Cartland’s entire library is acquired by Gravity Squared Entertainment (Being Heumann), for eventual screen adaptations. Producers Mark Foligno (The King’s Speech) and Matt Lipsey (Ted Lasso) are attached.
Showtime’s City on a Hill actor Matthew Del Negro teams up with Blake Robbins (The Sublime and Beautiful) on the indie film Mickey Brasch, which the latter will direct. Mickey Brasch (Del Negro) is a washed-up author attempting to rekindle his relationship with his estranged daughter. Production is currently ongoing in Oklahoma.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Benjamin Wainwright (Belgravia: The Next Chapter) and Stefanie Martini (The Gold) will lead Maigret, a contemporary English-language adaptation of Georges Simenon’s detective novels. Ahead of Mipcom, the six-part series has been picked up in a variety of distribution deals, including ABC in Australia, WOWOW in Japan, and more.
Former Sony executive Matt Hanna has been brought on by Fox Entertainment Group to oversee all North American and Latin American sales. His new role as America’s SVP will be focused on magnifying the value of original and acquired IP across all platforms. Leading licensing and distribution strategy, he will take on his new position effective immediately.
Mexican drama Lux Noctis brings on Oscar-winning Roma producer Pimienta Films. The film is the feature-length directorial debut of filmmaker Damiana Acuña, based on her 2021 short film (trailer) of the same name.
ON THIS DAY
1960. Spartacus premieres in NYC.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
Follow us on: Facebook | Instagram
Want to advertise with us? Email: clarke.scott@theindustry.co
Holland taking on a darker, more morally ambigous role feels like the right next move for him. The boyish charm that made him perfect as Spider-Man could actually work really well for a character who's supposed to elicit sympathy even though he's done something terrible. Grisham's novels always hinge on that moral grey area, and casting someone audiences naturally root for makes the eventual torture and consequences hit harder. Plus Bateman's history with blending dark comedy into serious situations could give this a unique tone that sets it apart from typical legal thrillers. The fact that it's Bateman's first big studio directorial project outside of Ozark territory shows he's betting big on this material and this casting. Graham Moore writing the script is also a smart choice, given how well he handled the ethical complexitys in The Imitation Game.