All the President’s Men With UFOs
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Top Gun UFOs. 20th Century’s time capsule and a Secret Mall Apartment.
Let’s go!
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The truth is out there.
Joseph Kosinski (Dir: Top Gun: Maverick) has lined up his new project, described as:
All the President’s Men with UFOs.
Kosinski is a master of making movies that are viscerally kinetic.
In Top Gun 2, Kosinski outfitted the F18 jet fighters with custom cameras to capture the action, with Tom Cruise and co enduring speeds many times faster than sound.
Kosinski stated:
“You can’t fake the forces that are put on your body during combat… You can’t do it on a sound stage, you can’t do it on a blue screen. You can’t do it with visual effects.”
The next generation of this tech is being used in Kosinski’s upcoming F1, starring Brad Pitt.
So it is an utter surprise that Kosinski has shifted gears to something that travels at more terrestrial speeds: a political thriller.
The potent force of acceleration in this film will be the slow accrual of evidence that reveals we are not alone.
Helping Kosinski are producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun 2, F1) and writer Zach Baylin (The Order, King Richard). Most interestingly, UFO whistleblower David Grusch will EP and consult on the project.
If Kosinski can channel his knack for velocity into suspense, this UFO thriller will take off—already, every major studio is laying out a bid.
For More:
Nothing more about the film is known at this stage. Here’s a great BTS video of Top Gun 2 that shows the true endurance of all the actors.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Apple TV+ has unveiled a trailer for Dope Thief. It represents a major win for the show’s creator, long-time writer Peter Craig.
Chris Pine will star in Nowhere Fast, a Texas crime thriller.
Big executive shake-ups are happening at LuckyChap and Searchlight.
Netflix’s Peaky Blinders will have a life after the new film, revealed creator Steven Knight.
Justin Chon (Dir/Star: Blue Bayou) is in talks to direct Capsule, a high-concept sci-fi film for 20th Century Studios.
Steven Spielberg’s UFO film has been pushed 1 month to release on June 12, 2026.
Pedro Pascal brings his patented grounded energy to the nostalgia-soaked Freaky Tales.
Emily Mortimer (Paddington 3) will play the new chief of Police in a dark Disney+ series.
Berlin’s competition film The Ice Tower, starring Marion Cotillard, has been acquired by Yellow Veil Pictures (Gasper Noe’s Lux Æterna).
Ron Perlman & Harvey Keitel’s Joe Baby has been picked up for distribution out of EFM.
Michael Shannon’s directorial debut, Eric LaRue (premiere Tribeca 2023) is getting a theatrical release by Magnolia Pictures. It stars Judy Greer and Alexander Skarsgård.
Triple-threat filmmaker Rashida Jones is teaming up with Will Ferrell’s production company to direct Playdate.
A24 has officially subscribed to Oprah’s Book Club, securing the rights to hit novel Dream State.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Apple TV+ has unveiled a trailer for Dope Thief, an eight-episode crime drama.
What’s remarkable about the series starring Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) and Wagner Moura (Narcos) is that it is a major leveling up for the show’s creator, Peter Craig, who has previously only had writing credits.
They are numerous:
Gladiator II (2024)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
The Batman (2022)
Bad Boys for Life (2020)
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
The Town (2010)
Back in 2010, reflecting on his journey from novelist to screenwriter, Craig stated:
“I think THE TOWN was probably my fourth job. I tried to do an adaptation of my second novel that didn't work out because it's too sprawling. That caught the attention of Adrian Lyne [dir: Indecent Proposal] - and we briefly worked together to try to get it made into a film.”
Ultimately, things with Lyne didn’t work, and Affleck took over The Town, and the rest was history.
Dope Thief is produced by Ridley Scott, who directs the pilot.
Synopsis:
Two Philly delinquents pose as DEA agents to rob a rural house. Their scheme unravels a massive Eastern seaboard drug corridor.
Streaming on Apple TV on March 14, 2025. Trailer.
Chris Pine will star in Nowhere Fast, a Texas crime thriller about a small-town criminal who accidentally kills his boss's nephew. The film is written and directed by Noah Hawley, known for Fargo and Legion, marking his second feature directorial attempt.
Most excitingly, the production of this will be handled by Hawley's own Austin-based production company, 26 Keys, hopefully bringing more film to Texas, which has had an on-again-off-again relationship with state-funded film grants.
Hawley has absolutely made a name for himself in television with Fargo, hopefully Nowhere Fast, gets him up on the big screen where he wants to go.
Casting is currently underway. 30West is financing and co-repping US rights.
Some big executive shakes ups at:
LuckyChap (Barbie)
Searchlight
JK Rowling's Lit and Entertainment Agency
I was surprised who LuckyChap poached:
https://theindustry.co/p/luckychap-and-lucasfilm
Production on the sequel film to Netflix’s Peaky Blinders has officially wrapped, and series creator Steven Knight hinted at an expansion of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders universe, saying:
“I’m not allowed to announce it, but I’m just saying that the world of Peaky will continue.”
The Peaky Blinders movie is slated for 2026 on Netflix.
Tidbits:
Justin Chon (Dir/Star: Blue Bayou) is in talks to direct Capsule, a high-concept sci-fi film for 20th Century Studios. Written by Elijah Bynum (Dir/Wri: Magazine Dreams), the story follows a young tech entrepreneur whose life unravels when he mysteriously receives metallic capsules containing messages from his future self.
Sitcom queen Mindy Kaling returns to Hulu with Not Suitable for Work, a comedy about career-driven twenty-somethings navigating ambition and personal chaos in Manhattan’s elite Murray Hill. Kaling will produce under her banner alongside frequent collaborator Charlie Grandy (EP/Writer: The Mindy Project) serving as showrunner.
Lesli Linka Glatter (dir: Mad Men, Homeland) will direct the pilot and EP Imperfect Women, a limited series for Apple TV+, starring and EPed by Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington.
A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of shooting at his former friend in West Hollywood. This bodes well for not just the rapper but also A24, who has him co-starring in their upcoming If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
Mini tidbits:
Steven Spielberg’s UFO film has been moved one month later and will now be released on June 12, 2026. This takes the spot of the new film by The Daniels (Best Picture winner: EEAAO), which is now undated.
Here is a slightly expanded trailer of the Looney Tunes movie The Day the Earth Blew Up. Escapes into theaters March 14th.
Dune 3 (Dir: Denis Villeneuve) will shoot toward the end of the summer, pending talent availability.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Pedro Pascal's bloody 80's murder spree and other tales:
Pascal looks positively dangerous in the nostalgia-soaked Freaky Tales. The new redband trailer shows a delightful amount of slicing and dicing and face shredding amongst many other fun kills.
With its four interconnected stories set in 1987 Oakland, CA. Freaky Tales promises tales inspired by (Scanners, Big Trouble in Little China, Repo Man) all movies directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden (Half Nelson, Captain Marvel) were obsessed with as kids:
“It's this beautiful, kind of like visual storybook in chapters referencing all of these amazing movies that I saw on repeat through my childhood way too early on cable.
Lionsgate takes this Sundance 2024 film into theaters on April 4th.
Watch Pascal kick it like it’s 1987, and check out the pretty gnarly trailer here.
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Tidbit:
Emily Mortimer (Paddington 3) will portray Cressida Dick, the new chief of the Metropolitan Police in Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. It's very interesting that this dark courtroom drama will find its home on Disney+. It fits the recent turn by the streamer to explore darker, more rated R programming.
FESTIVALS
Berlin Film Festival / EFM Pickups:
The Ice Tower (In Competition)
Cast: Marion Cotillard
North American rights acquired by Yellow Veil Pictures (Gasper Noe’s Lux Æterna)
Here’s the synopsis:
Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot for a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star, Cristina, an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.
Yellow Veil’s co-founder stated:
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified [writer/director] Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today.”
No word on the release date.
Here’s Cotillard as the queen (icy first look clip).
The Last Front (EFM)
Cast: Iain Glen (GOT)
Picked up by Quiver Distribution (US), Altitude Film Distribution (UK)
Plus: Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, North Africa, German-speaking Europe.
Synopsis:
Amidst World War I's chaos, a grieving father turns hero, leading villagers to safety while evading a relentless enemy driven by vengeance.
Cast: Ron Perlman & Harvey Keitel
North American rights picked up by ITN Distribution
Synopsis:
A money collector for a private investigator is hired to track down 10 million dollars stolen in a dodgy real estate deal, opening a complex can of worms.
ITN is behind the marvelously appalling but ingenious ultra-low-budget Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Tidbit:
Continental ‘25’ (Berlin: Premiere), directed by Radu Jude (Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World), dropped a trailer. Dinosaurs included.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
We love seeing actors make their directorial debuts. Sometimes, it's disastrous, and other times it's revelatory (Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Peele’s Get Out, Beatty’s Heaven Can Wait).
So we’re deeply intrigued by Michael Shannon’s first film, Eric LaRue (premiere Tribeca 2023).
Fair warning: I’m fairly put off by the trailer, as the acting seems stilted. But based on the premise, it could all be by design:
The story of Janice, the mother of a teenager who shot and killed three of his classmates.
The premise seems to allow Shannon to focus on the deep rift between the performers, some of which Shannon has shared the screen with:
Judy Greer (Pottersville)
Alexander Skarsgård
Alison Pill
Tracey Letts (Elvis and Nixon)
Magnolia Pictures will release April 4th in theaters. Longtime Shannon collaborator Jeff Nichols serves as EP.
Tidbits:
A24 has officially subscribed to Oprah’s Book Club. After competitive negotiations the company secured the rights to Dream State, a novel from Eric Puchner to be adapted for TV. The latest selection of Oprah’s famous Book Club, the novel spans over 50 years and is set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, described as both a love letter and an elegy to the American West. Dream State will join HBO’s Euphoria, Netflix’s Beef, and Hulu’s Ramy as part of A24’s TV roster.
Holland, starring Nicole Kidman and Matthew Macfadyen, is headed straight for Prime. It follows Nancy, a teacher whose life with her husband in Holland, Michigan, tumbles into a twisted tale when she and her colleague become suspicious of a secret. It is directed by Mimi Cave (Hulu’s Fresh). Kidman looks frantic in the first look photo.
It’s nice to watch a doc that is simple yet profound. Enter Secret Mall Apartment, about, yes, a secret apartment in a mall. Is it a critique of capitalism, a celebration of youthful rebellion, or a deep dive into a secret artist collective? Yes to all of the above, and we’re not mad at it! Here’s the trailer. Premiered at SXSW and Hot Docs. Limited release March 21st. Jesse Eisenberg EPs.
Triple-threat filmmaker Rashida Jones is teaming up with prod company Gloria Sanchez to direct Playdate. Read more about her psychological warfare playdate film here:
https://theindustry.co/p/rashida-jones-playdate
ON THIS DAY
Benicio Del Toro born in San Germán, Puerto Rico.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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