Good morning: In today’s edition of The Industry, we look at:
Ashton Kutcher Makes You Hot, Zazie Beetz Hunts You Down, and a 2001 pioneer.
Let’s go!
Ashton Kutcher’s smile is transactional in The Beauty.
Ryan Murphy’s newest FX series, The Beauty, is set in a world where a sexually transmitted disease makes its victims more beautiful, with Kutcher as the shady creator behind it, trading in his usual affability for something much more cold and calculated.
For much of the early 2000s, Kutcher was Hollywood’s resident goofball. From the dim-witted good fun of That ‘70s Show to a string of romcoms (Just Married, No Strings Attached, What Happens in Vegas), Kutcher’s characters often have a smug confidence and a case of arrested development. Even when selfish or morally questionable, they still feel playful and harmless.
He then made a hard pivot into dramatic roles.
Stepping away from his comedic roots with movies like the messed-up time-traveling sci-fi film The Butterfly Effect (2004, scene), the more cynical, edgy romcom Spread (2009), or, his most commited role, as real-life tech genius Steve Jobs in Jobs (2013).
In FX’s The Beauty, Kutcher reads as very different.
He plays tech billionaire “The Corporation,” whose miracle drug has terrifying consequences, and his character’s actions are no longer excused by his boyish charm or immaturity.
In the newly released trailer, he’s unabashedly self-serving while gloating about his good looks on his yacht. His cold-blooded egocentrism mirrors Hollywood’s latest body horror film about beauty and control, Mubi’s hit The Substance.
Kutcher’s “The Corporation” resembles Dennis Quaid’s grotesque TV producer character Harvey (this shrimp scene still haunts me), who similarly pursues youth and perfection.
The new Murphy series feels like a great blend of his reliably goofy humor and his pull toward darker material, offering a compelling middle ground where Kutcher could really excel in this new stage of his acting career.
The Beauty premieres on FX January 21st.
For More:
The Beauty trailer
Kutcher at his goofiest. Dude, Where’s My Car? Trailer.
Kutcher at his most serious. Jobs trailer.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Warner Bros. unleashes trailer for Zazie Beetz-led horror They Will Kill You.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will shut down after 58 years.
HBO is producing a doc on Gisèle Pelicot.
John Mayer teams up with McG to finalize purchase of Jim Henson Studio lot.
Comcast’s cable-network separation is done: Versant is a standalone company.
Dish countersues Disney/ESPN over alleged antitrust bundling.
Baby Reindeer breakout Nava Mau joins NBC’s Brilliant Minds S2 as guest star.
Read the script for Searchlight’s The Testament of Ann Lee and more here.
2001 special photographic effects supervisor Con Pederson dies at 91.
Cannes Midnight’s Sons of the Neon Night acquired by Toho-Towa for Japan.
Former Netflix exec, Amir Moini directs short film Artichoke.
Italy’s Buen Camino breaks out as a local phenomenon: $66.7M at box office so far.
Lionsgate acquisitions exec Noel Hedges departs.
Ireland launches Europe’s first unscripted TV tax credit (20% rebate).
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) beats the hell out of a murderous hotel staff in the bloody Kill Bill-esque horror flick They Will Kill You.
This feels like New Line and Warner Bros. making a very deliberate play to build a new original horror, a la their record-breaking Weapons, rather than simply releasing more sequels (Final Destination, The Conjuring).
They Will Kill You follows a woman’s first night working as a housekeeper in a luxury New York apartment building, which turns into a brutal fight for survival when she discovers the building is a Satanic monument that demands her life as a sacrifice.
Straightforward in premise, it’s pretty buck-wild with shotgun blasts rocketing people off of walls, and some really satisfying-sounding punches.
The trailer has a lot of flair. It looks funny, scary, and downright weird at times, but mostly it looks like it might put butts in seats. Are we witnessing an indie (in spirit) horror renaissance that focuses on fun? We are here for it.
Produced by Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (IT) and directed by Kirill Sokolov (Why Don’t You Just Die!).
Check out the trailer (It’s red-band for you sickos).
And before you go thinking it’s too original, check out an already-released darker version of the film: Mr. K starring Crispin Glover (trailer).
Tidbits:
Dish has countersued Disney and ESPN after Dish-owned Sling TV launched “Sling Passes.” These are short-term plans that let viewers buy limited-time access to live TV (including sports) without a longer subscription. Dish alleges Disney is using ESPN as leverage to require Sling/Dish to carry and pay for additional Disney channels as a condition of getting ESPN. Dish says this makes it harder to offer cheaper, slimmer sports-focused packages. Dish also claims Disney is giving other distributors better terms without extending the same terms to Dish/Sling.
Mini Tidbits:
Corporation for Public Broadcasting will shut down after 58 years. This follows the U.S. Congress’s vote to cut public funding. CPB’s funding made up roughly 15% of the PBS budget (prod co: Ken Burns’ The Civil War, Sesame Street).
An HBO documentary will follow Gisèle Pelicot as she rebuilds her life after surviving years of abuse and choosing to speak publicly. Directed by Joanna Natasegara (prod: Disney+’s Oscar-nominated short: Nai Nai & Wài Pó), the film centers on Pelicot’s determination to stand with survivors of sexual violence worldwide. Currently in production.
Musician John Mayer teams up with Charlie's Angels director McG to finalize their purchase of the legendary Jim Henson Studios lot, which they will revert back to its original namesake: Chaplin Studios. They’re also keeping it operational and fully staffed, immediately booking music, film, TV, and digital projects.
A new chapter begins for Comcast’s cable empire. Versant Media Group, home to network channels like CNBC, USA Network, E!, etc., is now officially its own independent public company. Shares were distributed to Comcast investors (details), with Versant finally hitting the public market. The stocked dropped 13% on it’s first day of trading.
Alec Shankman, former head of Gersh, has left to launch a new venture, HeartRock Partners, a Cleveland-based management firm focused on entrepreneurial talent, brands, and development.
Cancellations/Renewals:
Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown (renewed for shortened final S5)
Netflix’s Emily in Paris (renewed for S6)
The CW’s The Revelation of ‘Becka Paulson (cancelled)
Trailers:
Lionsgate’s Greenland: Migration
Cast: Gerard Butler
Release: Jan 6, 2026
BET’s Sistas (Season 10)
Cast: Ebony Obsidian (If Beale Street Could Talk), Novi Brown (Sistas)
Release: Jan 7
Netflix’s Stranger Things 5: The Making Of
Featuring: The Duffer Brothers
Release: Jan 12
Netflix’s The Upshaws (Part 7 - Final Season)
Cast: Mike Epps (Friday), Kim Fields (Living Single)
Release: Jan 15
Netflix's The Rip
Cast: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Release: Jan 16
Release Dates:
Netflix’s Queer Eye (Final Season)
Release: Jan 21
Disney+’s Disneyland Handcrafted (Doc)
Release: Jan 22nd
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Nava Mau, Emmy and BAFTA nominee for Baby Reindeer, joins NBC’s Brilliant Minds season 2 as a guest star. She will appear in episode 215 as Denise, a mysterious woman found collapsed after a night at a club.
Mau has a certain guarded exterior in Baby Reindeer that she was able to seemingly let crack at will. She was front and center across from Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd, who is caught between her and Martha. Clip.
It’ll be great to see how Mau navigates this new role.
Mini Tidbit:
Callum Turner is rumored to be the new James Bond. If this is confirmed, we’ll do a full break down. But as things go in the world of 007, expect some last-minute twists.
FESTIVALS AND RESOURCES
Screenplays:
Read Searchlight’s The Testament of Ann Lee screenplay, written by Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet, and Focus Features’ Song Sung Blue screenplay, written by Craig Brewer.
Plus fifteen more prospective Oscar scripts:
https://theindustry.co/p/prospective-best-screenplay-academy-dbf
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Con Pederson (Special Photographic Effects Supervisor on 2001: A Space Odyssey) has died at 91.
Kubrick watched Pederson’s short film To the Moon and Beyond (1964, clip) at the World’s Fair, as he was gearing up for 2001. He was so impressed that he invited Pederson to read the 2001 script.
Pederson, working with three others, created, amongst other delights in 2001, the Stargate Corridor sequence. Watch it here and the breakdown of how they pulled it off here.
Pederson continued to work in Special Effects for decades, with his final credit being Garfield: The Movie (2004), working as an animator at Rhythm & Hues Studios (Oscar winner for Life of Pi).
Cannes Midnight Screening’s Sons of the Neon Night has been acquired by Toho-Towa (Japanese distributor: Top Gun: Maverick, How to Train Your Dragon) for Japan.
Synopsis:
A land free of drugs depicts utopia, or so they say - Yet only those who have been there would know the eternal flames that burn in that place called Hell.
And we love the eerie B&W poster. The teaser trailer is fairly wild.
Mini Tidbits:
Former Netflix exec and Tubi’s Director of Executive Communications, Amir Moini, is embracing his creative side, set to direct “giallo-inspired” short film Artichoke. This marks Moini’s second go at genre filmmaking after his Screamfest premiere horror short Slashr (2023, trailer). Production will begin shortly in the land of artichokes, Castroville, California.
The All3Media-owned Studio Lambert (The Traitors) is now working with actors turned game show titans Jon Barinholtz and Rob Belushi (prods. The Perfect Line) to start a new label. Led by the duo, Inner Drive Entertainment will develop and produce original unscripted and game show programs under the Lambert umbrella.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Italy’s box office is still sluggish post-COVID, but Buen Camino has become a genuine phenomenon. The father-daughter comedy opened to a record $31.6M over Christmas, crushed Hollywood competition locally, and has already hit $66.7M.
Logline:
A comfortable, self-absorbed Italian father reluctantly sets out on the Camino de Santiago to find his estranged daughter, only to discover that the journey forces him to confront who he is, who he’s failed, and what actually matters.
The trailer’s humor comes through even in the original language or the weird auto-dubbing.
Mini Tidbits:
International acquisitions exec Noel Hedges is leaving Lionsgate after three years. At the studio, he oversaw television acquisitions like the Australian drama series The Newsreader and the Channel 5 anthology series Teacher. He departs just months after Lionsgate carried out a major round of layoffs.
Ireland is launching Europe’s first unscripted TV tax credit, offering a 20% rebate. Approved through 2028, the incentive will be a test to support Irish and European content, and hopefully attract international productions.
A pioneer of Canadian media, Andre Provencher, has died at 76. Serving nearly a decade on the National Film Board of Canada, Provencher spent most of his career as a newspaper editor and TV producer, most notably launching La Presse Télé (Les Parent).
ON THIS DAY
1949. Victor Fleming (dir: The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind) dies at 59.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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