Anora. Anora. Anora.
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Anora. True Bro-tective. Seth Rogan takes himself too seriously.
Let’s go!
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Anora had a triple win this weekend. Top Award at the Directors Guild of America (DGA), Producers Guild of America (PGA), and Critics Choice Awards.
That got me thinking about how many times these awards have predicted the Best Picture winners at the Oscars over the past decade:
4 out of 10 times for the DGA
7 out of 10 times for the PGA
Since 1989, PGA has aligned with the Oscars' Best Picture winner 71% of the time6 out of the last 10 times for the Critics Choice
This trio of wins puts Anora as the frontrunner for The Oscars, as there is a significant crossover between the PGA/DGA voting bodies and Academy Voters.
More importantly, when all three voting bodies align, as happened with Oppenheimer, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Nomadland, and The Shape of Water, the film went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.
Anora, which also won the Cannes Palme d’Or, would be a worthy winner.
Anora is a rare film where the protagonist doesn’t know what genre of movie they’re in, and that creates a propulsive drive throughout each movement of the script, which ignites her character change.
In the beginning, she believes she’s in a gritty drama when, in fact, the movie is played like a fairy tale romance.
In the middle, she believes she’s in that fairy tale romance when, in fact, the movie has transitioned to a crime thriller.
By the end, when she is emotionally torn to ribbons, she believes she is in a prison drama when, in fact, she is part of a slow-burn romance.
Watching how Sean Baker (dir) and Mikey Madison (star) construct this film is a testament to genre fluidity, filling Anora’s transformation with relentless tension.
These wins put A24 on their backfoot, as many had called The Brutalist the surefire contender for Best Picture.
For More:
Sean Baker’s 30-Year Journey to Anora - video.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
The Superbowl had some enticing new trailers, including one for the final Mission: Impossible film.
Paramount has struck a new co-financing deal with Atlanta-based Domain Capital.
Jason Winer (Dir: Modern Family) will direct Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in a new untitled Apple Comedy.
Amazon MGM Studios is launching an international theatrical distribution arm.
AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead producer Frank Hildebrand has passed away at age 74.
Outer Banks’ Madelyn Cline is set to star alongside Johnny Depp and
\ in Lionsgate’s crime thriller Day Drinker.
Owen Wilson will play a medical courier in Runner, an action drama shooting in Australia.
A visceral thriller, The Death of Robin Hood, adds Bill Skarsgard (Nosferatu) and Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) to the cast.
Jessica Gunning is now rounding out the ensemble cast for Steven Soderbergh’s dark comedy The Christophers.
Some new additions to EFM: A Natalie Portman and Lena Dunham film, plus Kiefer Sutherland and Rebel Wilson in Tinsel Town. Full breakdown here.
Brenda Robinson has been named Acting President of Film Independent.
Michel Gondry's Pharrell Williams biopic Golden has been shelved.
Ne Zha 2 becomes the first film ever to hit $1 bn in a single market.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
The Superbowl had some enticing new trailers. Here are the standouts:
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
It’s nice to see Tom Cruise running in what is promising to be his final movie in the beloved Mission Impossible series. Not much is given here, but we do see his wild stunt.
F1
Apple’s big (and possibly final) theatrical bet. This 30sec spot was fun, but I preferred the previous trailer, in fact, we wrote a whole cover story on Brad Pitt’s need for speed:
https://theindustry.co/p/brad-pitts-need-for-speed
The Superbowl ads were pretty dull, but Eugene Levy’s eyebrows flying off his face were charming. Flying facial hair seemed to be a theme as Nick Offerman’s mustache took flight in a completely separate commercial.
Even Paramount needs help financing its films. They’ve just struck a new co-financing deal with Atlanta-based Domain Capital, who helped them finance Gladiator II and Sonic 3. Domain Capital is slated to help finance:
Novocaine (w/ Jack Quaid) (2025)
The Smurfs Movie (w/ Rihanna) (2025)
The Running Man (dir: Edgar Wright) (2025)
The deal will see 30 pics co-financed under the partnership, with an option to extend to 40 if all goes well.
Warner Bros. did the same deal towards the end of 2023.
True Bro-tective: Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson will team up with Jason Winer, an Emmy and DGA Award-winning director best known for Modern Family. They are going to be playing brothers for a 10-part comedy series that Winer is directing for Apple TV+. The 10-episode half-hour series, produced by Skydance Television, follows McConaughey and Harrelson playing exaggerated versions of themselves as their families attempt to live together on McConaughey’s Texas ranch. This marks Winer’s first major project outside of 20th Television, where he spent nearly two decades under various deals.
True Detective fans know that the two Texas-born actors' chemistry is unmatched; though darker in scope for that series, the two absolutely had an odd couple vibe going back and forth in that car. I love how, through this scene, you can just see Harrelson’s character regret more and more getting into this conversation Clip.
We don't know when this show will air, but it should start shooting in Texas sometime this year.
Tidbits:
Amazon MGM Studios is reportedly launching an international theatrical distribution arm as its Warner Bros. deal expires. This move would strengthen the studio's control over global releases, including the Bond films. The full rollout wouldn’t happen until 2026. More details as this develops.
AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead producer Frank Hildebrand has passed away at age 74. The Switzerland native began his filmmaking career in the UK before moving to Hollywood in the 80s, he has supervised films like The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Into the Wild (2007), and The Tree of Life (2011), among many others. He will be missed.
Renewals:
FX’s English Teacher (Season 2)
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
The Runner, and the Reacher: Owen Wilson and Alan Ritchson (Reacher) will star in Runner, an action drama directed by Scott Waugh, which follows a high-end courier (Ritchson) racing against time to deliver a life-saving organ while being pursued by a ruthless crime syndicate. Wilson plays Ben, a medical courier whom Ritchson's character must protect.
This is not the first time Wilson has been teamed up with a proficient fighter, there's something about his affable aloof attitude that mixes well with expert ass kicking from his partners side. Wilson has made quite a career being that everyman foil, the most famous that comes to mind is the Shang Hai Noon/Knight series that he shared with Jackie Chan.
Shanghai Noon - Barfight
Shanghai Knight - Chase scene
You see Owen Wilson messing around while someone is ditching out, and ass-kicking is a recipe for a good time. You will see what I mean when Runner arrives, currently filming in Australia.
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Outer Banks’ Madelyn Cline is set to star alongside Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in Lionsgate’s crime thriller Day Drinker.
From The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb the action flick is produced by Thunder Road (John Wick franchise) and 30West (Triangle of Sadness, Power Ballad).
Official Synopsis:
An enigmatic stranger forms an unlikely bond with a grieving bartender who lost her lover, their lives intertwining in unexpected ways.
Cline made her breakthrough starring in the viral YA Netflix series Outer Banks (S4 trailer) for which she’ll reprise her role in the upcoming fifth and final season recently announced to be hitting the streamer in 2026.
The young actress’ last role in a feature film was as the wannabe influencer, Whiskey, in the ensemble whodunnit sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022), and she has an immense ability to exude carelessness (performance highlight clips).
Tidbit:
Seth Rogan takes himself too seriously in Apple TV+’s The Studio, a 10-episode comedy. Rogen plays a newly appointed studio head scrambling to keep his head above water as he sinks into Hollywood's underbelly.
In the latest teaser, we see Rogan in some deep… well, you’ll see (trailer).
The Studio is set to premiere on March 26, 2025.
Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) is rounding out the ensemble cast for Steven Soderbergh’s dark comedy The Christophers, joining Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), and James Corden. With shooting beginning this month in London, this news comes shortly after Gunning was announced to also be joining George Jacuqes’ sophomore feature Sunny Dancer.
A visceral thriller, The Death of Robin Hood, adds Bill Skarsgard (Nosferatu), Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), and Noah Jupe (Wonder) to the cast of A Quiet Place director Michael Sarnoski’s anticipated next feature. Following the mischievous thief grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, the trio joins the film’s previously announced leads Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer. A24 previously picked up the releasing rights at Cannes with the film officially underway with production in Ireland this week.
Major Broadway actor Tony Roberts has passed away from lung cancer at 85 years old. One of the masterful Sidney Lumet’s greatest muses, Roberts starred in his films Serpico (1973) and Just Tell Me What You Want (1980). He gained widespread notoriety for playing opposite Woody Allen in the nonchalant friend role in films like Play It Again, Sam (1972) and Annie Hall (1977). His contributions to film and the stage are felt and he will be greatly missed.
FESTIVALS
EFM (European Film Market) is the premier market for getting films financed. With many splashy projects, it will be a post-Sundance litmus test if the film industry is surviving or thriving.
Here’s our running list of the latest and greatest projects. Some new additions are Natalie Portman and Lena Dunham’s film, Kiefer Sutherland and Rebel Wilson’s Tinsel Town, and Willem Dafoe’s Party.
https://theindustry.co/p/bad-boys-old-pals
Rotterdam Winners:
Tiger Competition winner (for up-and-coming filmmakers)
Fiume o more! - Dir: Igor Bezinović
Here’s the synopsis:
Through dramatic reconstruction and documentary asides, Igor Bezinović captures the spirit of Italian poet, playwright, journalist, aristocrat and army officer Gabriele D’Annunzio, and the nascent fascism in his attempts to annex the city of Fiume (Rijeka) to Italy in the aftermath of the First World War.
Big Screen Competition winner:
Raptures- Dir: Jon Blåhed
Synopsis:
Rakel is a strict Christian believer living in the far north of Sweden in the 1930s. When her husband forms a sectarian movement, with directions straight from God, she has no choice but to join the increasingly explicit cult.
Brenda Robinson has been named Acting President of Film Independent, with Eric d’Arbeloff stepping into her former role as Acting Board Chair. These shifts follow the passing of longtime President Josh Welsh, who led the nonprofit since 2012.
Both Robinson and d’Arbeloff bring deep industry ties—Robinson is a financier on Icarus, EP on Passing, and a longtime industry attorney. d’Arbeloff is the co-founder of Roadside Attractions.
Their leadership ensures continuity as Film Independent searches for a permanent president to uphold Welsh’s legacy.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Lena Dunham and the power of asymmetrical relationships. Dunham, who brought a deep insight into couple dynamics in the thought-provoking HBO series Girls, is directing her biggest film to date, Good Sex, starring Natalie Portman.
Synopsis:
A 40-something couples therapist (Portman) ventures back into the world of dating in New York. Between two very different romances - a young hipster and a successful fifty-something - she must discover what she really wants in love.
Dunham is adept at managing complex relationships. One of the standout moments in Girls is when Adam Driver and Jemima Kirke (Jessa) are dying to sleep together but out of respect for Lena Dunham’s character (one of the protagonists of the show) they just furiously masturbate together.
The show was also great at navigating the quiet moments of despair that happen in off-again-on-again relationships. (Driver + Dunham clip).
Dunham’s last turn as a feature director was Sharp Stick (2018), which was a misguided fairy tale. But given her talent, she may turn to Natalie Portman, who is adept at giving high stylization performances (May December and Black Swan) toward nuance and restraint—as in Closer (2004).
The project is launching at EFM. Domestic sales are being handled by CAA and international by Film Nation.
Michel Gondry's Pharrell Williams biopic Golden has been shelved and will reportedly never see the light of day. Studios usually try to keep wraps on this stuff, simply claiming that it fell apart in the edit. But it could have something to do with Pharrell's other biopic, Piece by Piece, barely clearing $10 M worldwide, as well as Robbie Williams' Better Man biopic flopping spectacularly; perhaps the world doesn't want another unhinged vanity project about a megalomaniac singer. Maybe someday, but for the time being, to THE VAULTS.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Enlight’s animated fantasy sequel, Ne Zha 2, not only becomes the first non-Hollywood movie in history to hit $1 B but it do so in a single market: China. In just 12 days it is the the #7 highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Directed by Yang Yu, the movie is loosely based on a classic Chinese myth and is set immediately after the events of the previous 2019 film. (Ne Zha, still impressive, made $700 M worldwide during its theatrical run).
Official Sequel Synopsis:
After the catastrophe, although the souls of Nexha and Aobing were saved, their bodies would soon be shattered, Taiyi Zhenren planned to use the seven-colored lotus to rebuild their bodies.
Ne Zha 2 has been on a tear since it was released during the Lunar New Year corridor in China (Jan. 28-Feb.4). It set the single-film box office record for the holiday in the market’s history, and this past Thursday surpassed The Battle at Lake Changjin to become China’s biggest film ever.
See the record-breaking magic for yourself when Ne Zha 2 releases in North America via CMC on Feb. 14th.
ON THIS DAY
1939. Stagecoach, directed by John Ford, premieres in Miami.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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