Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Bad Bunny’s revolution, New Regency’s Panic and Department M.
Let’s go!
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Bad Bunny stars in a film co-lead by Edward Norton.
That’s a wild and amazing casting combo. How did it happen though?
Well, trace back to one of the greatest performances of 2024 in the Sundance Jury Prize winner In the Summers.
That film stars Latin artist Residente in his debut performance as a father who oscillates between love and rage with his two daughters (see above poster).
Now Residente co-wrote and is directing his first feature, Porto Rico, with this cast:
Bad Bunny (lead role)
Edward Norton
Javier Bardem
Viggo Mortensen
Synopsis:
19th century Puerto Rican revolutionary José Maldonado Román, Águila Blanca (White Eagle) leads a group of former convicts in a fight against colonial rule.
It’s supposed to be in the vein of The Godfather and Gangs of New York.
And Bad Bunny in a role as a rebel leader feels perfect, given his commanding yet politically unifying Super Bowl performance. Maybe Norton will play some sort of antagonistic colonial leader.
It sounds lofty, but Residente is talented enough to be a unique voice in any medium he chooses because he understands the essence of art. In a Sundance Q&A Residente stated what he learned on his first film:
“These days today, time is money. And [the Director] was like, ‘no, time is hard.’ Taking the time to make good art is very important. And she did it. So thank you.”
We hope he takes his time with this epic Caribbean western.
Produced by Live Nation. And co-written by Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman).
For More:
In the Summers (trailer).
Bad Bunny Super Bowl show. 103M views and counting.
Edward Norton in Birdman clip.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Sony buys horror package Skeletons starring Brie Larson for $25M+ worldwide.
Sony sends a cease-and-desist to ByteDance over Seedance 2.0.
Cinemark Q4 revenue, net income, EBITDA, and attendance all fell.
New Regency buys espionage spec Panic Officer.
Roku hires ex-Meta exec Patrick Harris as SVP of Global Media Revenue.
Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media and Halle Berry’s HalleHolly team up.
John Malkovich joins Prime Video’s Bishop (opposite Joel Kinnaman).
Kristen Bell joins Sonic the Hedgehog 4.
John Cena and Kate McKinnon board Netflix’s One Attempt Remaining.
Tom Noonan (Manhunter and Heat) dies at 74.
CPH:DOX lineup includes projects from Juliette Binoche.
Neon could sell a big stake to Department M.
Legendary jazz vocalist Dinah Washington is getting the biopic treatment.
Yesterday’s correct answer: Day of the Triffids.
Kubrick adapted Traumnovelle into Eyes Wide Shut.
51% got it correct.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Sony buys EFM package Skeletons for $25M+ Worldwide. The team is amazing:
Cast: Brie Larson
Dir: JT Mollner (Strange Darling)
Wri: Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You)
Prod: J.J. Abrams (Bad Robot)
Exec Prod: Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen, Brian Duffield, Brie Larson
Intl Sales: FilmNation
Domestic Sales: FilmNation, CAA, WME
Synopsis:
A young boy slowly discovers that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature in this modern creature horror.
Sony hopes to have a big hit on its hands after their 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) topped out at $58M worldwide on a $63M budget. Skeletons is more in the traditional horror space vs. Bone Temple and should be a hit.
Also, thumbs up to Sony, as they also sent their own cease and desist letter to Seedance 2.0, following the move by Netflix, Warner Bros., Disney and Paramount.
Cinemark Theaters Q4 Revenue. Here are the gains and losses compared with a year ago:
$776M revenue
↓5%
$34.1M net income
↓33.5%
$131.7M EBITDA
↓16%
Attendance decreased 13% to 44.3M from last year’s 51M patrons, with over 67% being in the US.
Sean Gamble, Cinemark CEO, stated:
“Despite a softer-than-anticipated film slate, we generated our highest revenue since the pandemic and delivered solid Adjusted EBITDA with a robust Adjusted EBITDA margin,”
Despite a solid year, this was not the quarter Cinemark was hoping for with Tron: Ares, Wicked: For Good, and even Avatar: Fire and Ash underperforming by big margins. Premium formats and non-traditional programming helped compensate for some of this.
Tidbit:
Espionage thriller Panic Officer is acquired by New Regency (Deadpool & Wolverine). Similar to Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the spec comes from screenwriter Ben Ripley (Source Code) following a CIA operative whose cover is blown and then has to work closely with her ex, the Panic Officer. Total Recall producer Toby Jaffe is on board.
Mini Tidbits:
Roku has hired tech exec Patrick Harris as SVP of Global Media Revenue. Harris has worked in a senior position for Facebook/Meta for over a decade, brought on to oversee Roku’s growing advertising revenue.
Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media (GOAT) is partnering with Oscar winner Halle Berry and Holly Jeter’s HalleHolly (Never Let Go) banner for a first-look unscripted deal. The collaboration will focus on women-led projects, championing real, inclusive stories.
And the Oscar goes to Scientific and Technical Achievements! If you like to nerd out on all the innovations that the Academy is awarding this year, click here. Framestore, ILM, DreamWorks and Weta all scored achievements.
Pending an acquisition, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos promises to keep Warner Bros. traditional release model. That means that in addition to 45 days in theaters, the Warner Bros. films would move to PVOD, before hitting streaming. Many fear that after theatrical, they’d bounce directly to Max.
Greenlights/Renewals:
BBC’s Can You Keep a Secret? (renewed for S2)
Adult Swim’s My Two Cars (Comedy Series greenlit)
Creator: Dan Licata (writer: SNL) & Joe Pera
Trailers:
Apple TV’s Imperfect Women
Cast: Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara.
Release: Mar 18th
Lionsgate’s The Gates
Cast: Mason Gooding, James Van Der Beek
Release: Mar 13th
Warner Bros.’ The Mummy
Dir: Lee Cronin
Trailer - THIS IS NOT THE BRENDAN FRASER VERSION.
Release: April 17th
Release dates:
Sony Pictures Animation’s Buds
Release: Dec. 22, 2027
Picturehouse & WG Pictures’ Our Hero, Balthazar
Premiere: Tribeca
Cast: Asa Butterfield
Dir: Oscar Boyson (Prod: Good Time)
NY Release: Mar 27
LA Release: April 3
Tubi’s South West High
Release: Feb 23
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Beloved actor Tom Noonan, who had a knack for playing villains, has died at 74. Noonan, kicked off his career as the Tooth Fairy, in Michael Mann’s Manhunter (1986), based on the same source material as Silence of the Lambs. Noonan, in one chilling scene, calmly drives a man to extreme terror without lifting a finger.
He also played the spaced-out confidant of De Niro in Heat (clip). More recently he appeared in Charlie Kaufman’s work, both Anomalisa (2015) and Synecdoche, New York (2008).
If you thought she was perfect for Frozen’s Anna, get a load of this casting. Kristen Bell is set to voice the cheery pink creature in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, with the fan favorite character being teased in a mid-credits scene in the third film.
Besides her obvious voice work experience, Bell’s bubbly, infectious energy would fit seamlessly for Amy. The Sonic film franchise has collectively grossed over $1bn at the box office with plot details for the fourth installment being kept under wraps.
John Cena and Kate McKinnon join Netflix’s crypto comedy film One Attempt Remaining. The film stars Jennifer Garner and hails from Blockers (2018) director Kay Cannon.
The film takes an unexpected turn following a separated couple who, after years of putting up with egregious divorce proceedings, find themselves struck with luck when they learn some cryptocurrency they won is now worth millions.
We’re not sure if Cena will play Garner’s husband, but that just seems hilarious. Shawn Levy and Dan Levine producing for their 21 Laps (Stranger Things).
Tidbits:
Prime Video’s Bishop has cast John Malkovich as Joel Kinnaman’s father. The series follows detective Bishop Graves (Kinnaman), hunting a killer tied to his powerful father (Malkovich). Great casting as they not only share a similar size and physical similarity. Malkovich can also play warm and evil, so seemingly we can see some epic confrontation scenes.
Mini Tidbits:
Sing Sing’s Clarence Maclin
Heated Rivalry’s Hudson William
Entourage’s Kevin Dillon
All those mini casting tidbits here.
FESTIVALS
CPH:DOX, one of the biggest doc festivals, has a great lineup.
In-I Motion
Int. Sales Rep: MK2 Films (Sentimental Value)
Dir: Juliette Binoche (won Best Supporting Actress for The English Patient)
French dist: Ad Vitam (The Secret Agent)
Synopsis:
A renowned actress and a celebrated dancer unite for a bold artistic collaboration, pushing boundaries and discovering themselves through an experimental stage production that challenges their comfort zones.
A Child of My Own (Un hijo propio)
Dist: Netflix
Dir: Twice Oscar-nominated Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent)
Prod. Comp: Gato Grande Productions (Netflix’s Luis Miguel: The Series)
Synopsis:
Alejandra, desperate to become a mother, secretly pretends to be pregnant after an unexpected opportunity arises, but soon finds herself hostage to her own stories as the deception unfolds over nine months.
Sundance title Everybody to Kenmure Street
Int. Sales Rep: The Party Film Sales (The Voice of Hind Rajab)
Dir: Felipe Bustos Sierra (Nae Pasaran)
Cast: Emma Thompson
Prod. Comp: Barry Crerar (Sebastian)
Synopsis:
Glasgow residents abandon their daily routines to gather on Kenmure Street after learning authorities plan to deport their neighbors, sparking an impromptu grassroots movement.
Here are a few more titles that caught our eye.
Berlinale Perspectives Truly Naked sells to Portugal, UK/Ireland and three other territories. M-Appeal (Dreams) served as the sales rep.
Synopsis:
An introverted teenager who’s only ever experienced intimacy through the lens while working for his father’s pornography business, must step out from behind the camera when a feisty classmate challenges him to embrace real connection.
The film is directed by Muriel d’Ansembourg (short film Good Night).
Historical drama series gets international sales rep:
The Marquise (Leonor, Marquesa de Alorna)
Int. Sales Rep: Mediapro Studio Distribution (Pompeii)
Dir: Tiago Alvarez Marques (Madre Paula)
Showrunner: Pandora da Cunha Telles (prod. Netflix’s Turn of the Tide)
Co-producers: Spain’s Tornasol Films (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote), Portugal’s Ukbar Filmes (Vazante)
Synopsis:
Centers on Leonor de Almeida Portugal, Marquise of Alorna– a poet, diplomat and revolutionary thinker, who was considered one of the most captivating women of the 18th century.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
6-time Palme d’Or-winning studio Neon (Parasite) is making their next big move. They’re looking to sell a significant stake to production company Department M (The Christophers).
Department M is founded by former president of the Russo Brothers’ AGBO (Avengers: Endgame) Mike Larocca and former New Regency president Michael Schaefer. It was launched in 2024 with significant backing from Qatar-based investors. The deal with the indie prod co strengthens Neon’s already deep ties with Qatar after signing a partnership with their film committee last year.
Taking a stake in the Anora studio would give Department M, who also produced the upcoming Regé-Jean Page-led The Count of Monte Cristo, something far more powerful than just a development slate: it would provide direct access to quality distribution, marketing expertise, and perhaps most importantly, credibility.
It mirrors A24’s move from two years ago, involving a number of outside investors, like Josh Kushner’s Thrive Capital, investing $75M into the studio. The total investments have now led A24 to a $3.5bn valuation, majorly expanding their global scale.
Should this new deal go through, we hope Neon can maintain its indie identity with strengthened financial and strategic support.
Tidbits:
Legendary jazz vocalist Dinah Washington is getting the biopic treatment with Lethal Weapon actor-turned producer Danny Glover (prod. Neon’s Memoria) on board and British playwright Winsome Pinnock (“Leave Taking”) penning the script. Earning the moniker the “Queen of the Blues”, the film will follow a crucial 2 week period of the musician’s career.
Cinema Guild (dis: Dry Leaf) lands North American rights for Berlin Panorama’s The Day She Returns (Geunyoga doraon nal). Directed by Hong Sangsoo (Cannes’ In Our Day) and starring Song Seon-mi (Golden Time). The film follows an actress who struggles to recall details from her three press interviews when asked to recreate them during her acting class. No word on release date.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
London is getting a taste of Quebec noir Northern Traces. Germany’s Beta Film (Patience) has acquired the six-part series focused on a Montreal officer investigating a murder close to home. Beta is bringing the French-language show to the London TV Screenings next week.
Danish actor Claes Bang (Apple TV’s Bad Sisters) has joined the new series Dr. Jakob as a visionary plastic surgeon. You couldn’t look away when he was on screen in the Apple dramedy and now as Dr. Jakob, he’ll take on the first ever aesthetic surgical procedure changing the medical community forever.
Roadtrip movie More Than Brothers (Mais Que Irmãos) sees a reunion between Brazilian director Lázaro Ramos (Executive Order) and writer Sérgio Machado (wri. Lower City). Ramos’ new project follows a singer and a poet on a road trip that will change everything they’ve ever known.
ON THIS DAY
1955. Jeff Daniels born in Athens, Georgia.
Written by Gabriel Miller and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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I’m extremely curious how you assert that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance - all in Spanish - was “politically unifying”????
Quite a few people disagree with you on that one.