Adam Driver's Mafia, Will Ferrell's Justice
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Cover Story on AFM’s Lobsters and Tigers, Oh My!
In The Industry News: The Tom Holland Effect. Searchlight’s Heist. Tom Cruise’s Thunder.
Actor Spotlight: Will Ferrell's Justice, Taika Waititi’s creature quest.
Festivals: The horrors of AFM!
Tech Section: Deep-faking Here.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight: Julia Ducournau's Alpha and a directorial debut.
International News: Godzilla Minus Two.
Let’s go!
American Film Market (AFM), kicks off tomorrow. As previously mentioned, over the years, The Terminator, Pulp Fiction, and Slumdog Millionaire were launched or sold at this festival.
Here are four big projects coming to the market:
Paper Tiger (IMDBPro Link)
Cast: Adam Driver, Jeremy Strong, Anne Hathaway
Prod: Rodrigo Teixeira (RT Features)
Dir/Wri: James Gray (Ad Astra, We Own the Night)
Domestic Sales Rep: CAA
International Sales Rep: The Veterans (Queer)
Synopsis:
Two brothers pursue the American Dream but get entangled in a dangerous Russian mafia scheme that terrorizes their family, testing their bond as betrayal becomes possible.
Filming is scheduled for Q1 2025.
Gray previously directed crime world dramas like We Own the Night (2007) and Little Odessa (1994).
The Journeyman (IMDBPro link)
Cast: Dev Patel
Prod Company/Financier/Sales Rep: AGC Studios (Hit Man, Eden, Woman of the Hour)
Dir: Tarsem Singh (The Fall)
Synopsis:
A struggling pro tennis player who is lured into an illegal match-fixing ring to support his family and finds himself trapped in a ruthless world of corruption and violence he may never escape.
Production begins next year. Although Singh’s career has waned in recent years, there is new a flood of excitement around his work because his visual masterpiece The Fall (2006) is getting a theatrical re-release and a 4K restoration by Mubi.
Wri/Dir/Prod/Star: Chris Rock
Worldwide Sales Rep: Neon
Prod Company: Macro (Fences, Sorry to Bother You)
Synopsis:
A talented actress whose career has been stifled by her vices. Things change when a director (Rock) offers her a tailor-made part that could finally revitalize her path, although the situation is complicated by their turbulent past.
Sounds very meta. Casting is underway.
Last Night At The Lobster (IMDBPro Link)
Cast: Brian Tyree Henry, Elisabeth Moss
Dir/Actor: Wagner Moura (Played Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s Narcos)
Domestic sales rep: WME Independent
International sales rep: Bankside Films
Synopsis:
Manny, a seafood restaurant manager, learns that his location is set to close a week before Christmas. As he decides which staff to take to a new location, a blizzard traps everyone, prompting them to enjoy a final night together at The Lobster.
Filming begins early next year.
Here are three more buzzy films launching at AFM:
Lear, Rex, starring Al Pacino as King Lear with Jessica Chastain, Rachel Brosnahan, and Ariana DeBose playing his three daughters. The film has wrapped production. The Veterans (Queer) will do worldwide sales. Here’s our cover story on the project:
https://theindustry.co/p/al-pacinos-madness
Twilight of the Dead, written by the late George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead), starring Milla Jovovich, and directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist).
In Whose Name Kanye West doc.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
The Tom Holland Effect. Right on the heels of Holland’s Nolan and Spiderman announcement, Amazon MGM has bought the American Speed package.
The film has Austin Butler and Tom Holland attached to star as the Whittington brothers, who were drug smugglers. The pair funneled their $80 M profits into buying a race track, which they used to land drug planes from Colombia. The brothers eventually took to racing themselves, paying $200 K to compete in the prestigious Le Mans race, where they beat actor Paul Newman.
Charles Roven (prod: Oppenheimer) will produce.
Amazon MGM also bought a spec script for $2 M. Love of Your Life by Julia Cox (writer: Nyad). Ryan Gosling is producing through his company General Admission.
Lionsgate has acquired Three Hitmen and a Baby, an action comedy spec by Dave Matalon and Matt Altman, inspired by the classic Three Men and a Baby (1987). The plot is under wraps, but the title hints at a similar twist. It will be produce by 87North which also has the Ke Huy Quan vehicle Love Hurts hitting theatres in February with Nobody 2 next year.
Here is the original Three Men and a Baby trailer.
Jared Leto, John Mulaney, and Lupita Nyong’o are set to star in Lunik Heist, a dramedy caper directed by Kemp Powers (Dir: Spiderman Across The Spider-Verse) for Searchlight Pictures.
Synopsis, based on a true story from 1959:
During the Cold War era, American intelligence officers orchestrate a daring operation to covertly retrieve a Soviet spacecraft from an exposition in Mexico City, willing to uncover the advancements of their adversaries at any cost.
Leto, along with Emma Ludbrook, will produce the film under their Paradox banner. Powers, known best for his work on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and One Night in Miami… plans to both write and direct. No production dates are announced just yet.
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Tidbits:
UTA Partner Andrea Nelson exits. Nelson boasts a high-profile client roster:
Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream)
Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
Plus, Beyonce. Nelson kicked off her career at the CAA mailroom in 1996.
Tom Cruise is in early talks with Paramount to star in a Days of Thunder sequel. That would mark the second Tony Scott (dir: Top Gun 1) 80s/90s film to get a Cruise sequel. Days of Thunder (1990) co-starred Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, and Randy Quaid. It’s a NASCAR racing movie and a Tarantino favorite that packs high adrenaline into every scene (trailer). Days of Thunder ($87 M WW box office) never reached the iconic level of Top Gun ($357 M WW box office), but the action was top notched and may be attractive for Cruise.
The “Dreamgirls” team is reuniting for Amazon MGM Studios’ funk musician, George Clinton biopic, directed by Bill Condon and starring Eddie Murphy as the Parliament-Funkadelic leader. Virgil Williams is writing the script, based on Clinton’s memoir, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You? The film will chronicle Clinton’s journey to founding the monumental Parliament Funkadelic, a prolific funk group known for their outrageous costumes, and incredible hooks. Condon first has to finish his next film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, before any production starts, but I can't think of a better story to tell than George Clinton's.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Will Ferrell is set to star in and produce Street Justice, a comedy from 20th Century Studios. Directed by Peter Atencio (Director: Key & Peele, The Afterparty), the film has Ferrell playing a tough, no-nonsense character in the vein of Dirty Harry, who takes justice into his own hands. Dave Callaham, known for Shang-Chi and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, wrote the script on spec, selling it in a high-value deal. It has been quite some time since Ferrell has starred in one of the Talladega Nights/Anchorman caliber comedies. Aiming instead, for some very funny antagonist roles, Barbie’s CEO of Mattel comes to mind. This will also be one of the first films he does without previous collaborative partner Adam McKay after the pair split creatively in 2021. Will Ferrell is one of the funniest living people. His penchant for improv is incredible, we will definitely keep up to date with Street Justice when it starts moving forward with casting.
HBO has greenlit DTF St. Louis, a seven-episode limited series starring and executive produced by Jason Bateman and David Harbour, with Steve Conrad (Secret Life of Walter Mitty) as the writer, director, and showrunner. The series revolves around a middle-aged love triangle that ends up with one of them dead. Originally conceived as My Dentist’s Murder Trial, a true-crime series about a Kingston, NY dentist, the project has evolved, now excluding the dentist angle but retaining much of the original creative team. No word on when filming, production, and series releases are expected.
This tracks with Bateman continually taking on darker roles post Ozark like Netflix’s Carry On:
https://theindustry.co/p/jason-bateman-die-hard
Tidbit:
Taika Waititi is in talks to star in FING!, a family fantasy film based on David Walliams’ bestselling book. Co-starring Rafe Spall, Walliams, and newcomer Iona Bell, the story follows Mr. and Mrs. Meek on a quest to find a “Fing” creature for their demanding daughter Myrtle. Fing! Seems like it's got that quirky energy Taika craves. Watch Waititi ham it up in Jojo Rabbit (clip).
Production begins in early 2024 in Australia and the UK.
Barry Keoghan is in Netflix’s upcoming Peaky Blinders movie. Here’s a first look still.
While exact plot details, release dates, and Keoghan’s character are being kept under wraps, the film is said to take place not long after the events in the hit series’ final season, show creator Steven Knight has returned to pen the script with series alum Tom Harper to direct.
Alan Rachins passed away at 82. He starred in two popular shows:
L.A. Law (1986 - 1994)
Role: Senior Partner who was described as “eloquent, mercenary and obnoxious”
Dharma & Greg (1997 - 2002)
Role: Dharma’s father
He will be missed.
FESTIVALS
AFM sees double horror. I know we’ve had back-to-back days of AFM coverage. But the recent surplus and success of horror films at the box office, especially coming off of Halloween's impressive weekend for Terrifier 3 and Smile 2, seems to be a catalyst for increasing the supply of an already saturated market.
Two horror films to watch:
Monitor (IMDBPro link)
Prod Company: Temple Hill Entertainment (Smile, Smile 2)
Worldwide sales rep: Protagonist Pictures
Synopsis:
When a group of social media moderators refuse to publish a horrifying video, a demonic creature starts following them across every screen in their lives. Feeding off fear, the creature hunts them down one by one and attacks them until it gets what it wants… to be let out beyond the screen.
This is the first feature from Ryan Polly and Matt Black (I Bet You’re Wondering How I Got Here).
Epilogue (IMDBPro link)
Cast: Kate Siegel (The Haunting) & David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil)
Prod: Todd Garner (Mortal Combat)
Worldwide Sales Rep: The Coven (Terrifier 3)
Synopsis:
A desperate couple searches for a cure for their infected daughter one year after the supposed end of a zombie apocalypse.
The film is directed by Michael Fimognari, who DP’d Doctor Sleep and Netflix’s The Haunting.
AFM kicks off on November 5th.
Tidbit:
The Tokyo International Film Festival is in full swing. One of the official selection, The Unseen Sister. Caught our attention.
Here’s the synopsis:
Growing up in a border town, Qiao became a well-known actress after years of hard work, but was careful along the way under heavy pressure. With an anonymous blackmail message, a dusty past becomes her new shadow. Meanwhile, her sister who lost contact with her years ago, suddenly shows up.
Here’s the punchy trailer. There are no subtitles, but the feelings of jealousy need no translation.
TECH SECTION
Deep Fakes come Here. AI VFX software studio Metaphysic.ai (site) is behind the Tom Hanks and Robin Wright film Here, which used real time de-aging tech.
The film’s director, Robert Zemeckis, explained:
“It was crucial that the cast could see it, because then they could adjust their performance… They could say, ‘Oh, I see, I’ve got to make sure I’m moving like I was when I was 17 years old.’ No one had to imagine it. They got a chance to see it in real time.”
Here’s a BTS clip from Here showing off some of the tech.
The lead for the company is Ed Ulbrich, who has been in charge of VFX production for:
Titanic (1997)
Fight Club (1999)
Zodiac (2007)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
It’s frightening and exciting to see what they’ll come up with next.
Tidbit:
Disney establishes an Office of Technology Enablement. They will explore the risks and opportunities of AI and other tech.
Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman stated:
“The pace and scope of the advances in AI and XR (extended reality) are profound and will continue to impact consumer experiences, creative endeavors and our businesses for years to come.”
Eddie Drake (Marvel Studios: Head of Tech) is the new CTO.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
William Woods, a longtime producer, is making his directorial debut with The Embers And The Stars.
Here’s the synopsis:
Follows an astrophysicist, who after making an extraterrestrial discovery, is forced to flee with his family from their home and are chased through the countryside by an anonymous pursuer.
The cast is excellent:
Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians)
William Fichtner (The Dark Knight)
Mark O’Brien (Arrival)
Woods serves as the co-president for Game Theory Films, which has distributed prestige foreign art-house horror:
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2024)
Official Selection: Venice Film Festival, TIFF
Won: Best Director Venice
In Flames (2023)
Official Selection: TIFF, Cannes Director’s Fortnight
We hope Woods’ new film follows in these footsteps. The film is aiming for a 2025 release.
Molly C. Quinn (Castle) and Cameron Cuffe (Krypton) have wrapped The Weight, a psychological thriller, and the directorial debut of American Gods producer Sallyanne Massimini. Filmed in Ontario, Canada, the story follows Mia (Quinn), who escapes from David (Cuffe) after witnessing him bury a body, triggering a desperate chase through treacherous wilderness. It promises stunts and action in a cat and mouse chase goes all over the harsh Canadian wilderness. Wonder if the famous song by The Band was inspiration?
Tidbit:
Cannes Palme d’Or winning director Julia Ducournau's (Titane) 3rd feature, Alpha, which will be released by Neon has a synopsis:
The heroine, “Alpha”, a teenager from the late 1980s, is rejected by her classmates because a rumor mentions her contamination by a new disease.
The film is supposed to be Ducournau's most personal.
Alpha already has its leads set:
Golshifteh Farahani
Co-stars w/ Adam Driver in Paterson (2016)
Tahar Rahim
A Prophet (2009)
This is exciting, as Titane (2021) and Raw (2016) plays with repulsive human bodies being alienated by those who they love and trust.
There’s a body-horror brutality that’s hard to watch and hard to look away.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Godzilla Minus One, is getting a sequel. Toho Greenlit the film. Yamazaki Takashi, the director, writer and VFX supervisor of the film is being brought back.
Takashi described the inspiration for his Godzilla:
“Godzilla if you trace back to its origins it's a symbol of terror and war and nuclear power so I wanted to make sure that when audiences saw Godzilla, that fear would be instilled upon them.”
Godzilla Minus One depicts a postwar Japan grappling with the emergence of a new terror, compelling its devastated inhabitants to claw back (trailer). The mass-scale, highly detailed VFX is nothing short of stunning when seen through the lens of this "shoe-string" budget.
Takashi is the first director since Stanley Kubrick to win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
ON THIS DAY
2001. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone premieres in London.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller and Spencer Carter.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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