Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Ben Stiller B Ball, Wagner Moura O 11, and $107M.
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Ben Stiller will direct a multi-part Knicks docuseries with A24 and HBO.
Netflix wins rights to adapt novel Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It.
Janelle James and David Caspe are developing Hulu comedy Rock City.
Jeff Probst announces an animated Survivor movie at Paramount Animation.
Vice Studios is developing a scripted drama about sports ownership & corruption.
Amazon hires Matt Schwimmer to lead its Creator Services team.
Wagner Moura joins Warner Bros.’ Ocean’s Eleven prequel as the villain.
Daniel Kaluuya reteaming with Shaka King for Amazon MGM’s The Parlay.
Sandra Oh is in talks to join Matt Damon in the Daniels’ Universal project.
Alan Cumming’s queer drama series Tip Toe lands its U.S. release at Starz.
Nikki Glaser joins Netflix animated fairy-tale film Steps as villain Priscilla.
David Permut produces debut motocross drama Ragamuffin, w/ Lewis Pullman.
BBC will cut $107M, eliminating over 500 roles by 2027.
Studiocanal is making art-heist docuseries The Paris-Tokyo Job.
Yesterday’s correct answer: Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sean Penn’s long-haired role.
97% got it correct.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
While the entire tri-state area is still on a high after the NY Knicks’ history-making NBA Finals run, no one was paying closer attention than superfan Ben Stiller.
In partnership with A24 and HBO, Stiller is officially directing a multi-part documentary series about the history and legacy of the New York Knicks, culminating with the franchise’s first championship in 53 years. Many eagle-eyed fans even guessed a potential project was in the works as the actor and longtime director was seen throughout the team’s entire postseason run filming on his iPhone on the sidelines.
The announcement comes just one year after Stiller’s first go at documentary filmmaking with his personal Tribeca-premiering film Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (2025).
Tidbit:
Popular internet personality Brooke Averick’s (Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast) debut novel is set to be adapted into a feature film at Netflix. Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It follows a hopeless romantic whose fear of intimacy has kept her love life at a standstill. The streamer won the rights in a competitive bidding war ahead of its end-of-May publication date, with The Nightingale producer Elizabeth Cantillon and Girls writer Sarah Heyward on board to pen the screenplay.
Mini Tidbits:
The tribe has spoken. After a whopping 50 seasons, host Jeff Probst has announced that an animated Survivor movie is in the works with Paramount Animation. The wild comedy will feature animals competing for the chance to be crowned the sole “Survivor”.
Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James is developing Rock City, a new Hulu comedy with Happy Endings creator David Caspe. The show will follow a woman returning to her hometown after inheriting her estranged father’s beachfront bar, only to discover it comes with far more than she expected.
Pablo Torre (Emmy-nominated host of Pablo Torre Finds Out) is developing a scripted television drama with Vice Studios (Prod Co: The Beach Bum starring Matthew McConaughey). The series will center around sports ownership, extreme wealth, and corruption.
Amazon has hired Matt Schwimmer to lead its Creator Services team. Schwimmer brings years of experience in creator business development, particularly in the podcast space, having worked on hit shows such as Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert and the Kelce Brothers’ New Heights.
Toy Story 5 is Pixar’s most expensive movie of all time. Despite a $250M budget (not including marketing costs), Pixar is expecting a record-breaking opening weekend.
Renewal:
Prime Video’s One Night in Idaho: The College Murders (Renewed for S2)
Cancellation:
Netflix’s The Boroughs (Canceled after S1)
Trailers:
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Mark Ruffalo
Release: July 31
German-Turkish drama film Hijamat
MGM+’s The Westies
Cast: J.K. Simmons, Will Jeffs
Release: July 12
Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest: The Final Season
Release: July 2
Lunette Film’s Dreams in Nightmares
Cast: Denée Benton, Mars Storm Rucker, Dezi Bing
Release: Aug 21
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
The Oscar-nominated Wagner Moura is back as a villain.
Moura is set to join Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated Ocean’s Eleven prequel as the main antagonist opposite Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper.
His performance in last year’s The Secret Agent earned him the coveted Best Actor prize at Cannes, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar nomination. Yet before these accolades, Moura learned Spanish and gained 40 lbs to transform into the infamous Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s Narcos (intro scene).
What made his portrayal of the ruthless drug kingpin so compelling was his self-confidence, which allowed him to be loved by the people so deeply that they viewed him as a king. A villain as charming as he is terrifying is the perfect foil for Danny Ocean’s parents, played by Robbie and Cooper, in the new installment of the Ocean’s universe. He has a way of imbuing characters that could be cartoonish with real weight.
Releasing June 2027.
An Oscar-winning reunion. Daniel Kaluuya is reteaming with his Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) director, Shaka King, for the action-crime feature The Parlay. From Amazon MGM Studios, Kaluuya is reportedly set to star alongside Teyana Taylor.
In King’s Judas and the Black Messiah, Kaluuya delivered an Oscar-winning performance as Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton. There are some standout speech scenes in the film where Kaluuya is pure bile, driven by love, showcasing the revolutionary leader’s commanding presence.
The plot details remain a secret, but if Judas and the Black Messiah proved that Kaluuya and King have chemistry, The Parlay has every reason to be one worth betting on.
Tidbit:
Universal’s secret Daniels project just got even more interesting. Emmy winner Sandra Oh is in talks to star alongside Matt Damon in the newest epic film from the Everything Everywhere All at Once directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. While plot details are being kept under wraps, should she officially sign on, it would mark the first leading role for the highly selective Killing Eve actress since the 2023 Hulu comedy Quiz Lady. The untitled film is slated for a November 2027 release.
Mini Tidbits:
Alan Cumming’s queer drama series Tip Toe will have its U.S. release on Starz. The show follows two warring neighbors who have been living next to each other for 15 years. The show debuted in the UK on May 31st on Channel 4, with its premiere garnering over 1M viewers. Tip Toe’s U.S. release date is not confirmed yet.
Comedian Nikki Glaser is channeling her inner villain for Netflix’s animated fairy film Steps. Joining Ali Wong and Amanda Seyfried, Glaser will voice the evil Priscilla, a wannabe princess who will stop at nothing to control everyone around her. Steps will premiere on Netflix sometime this fall.
Two music legends are buzzing into animation, with Cher and Bob Geldof circling voice roles in Australian insect adventure film FlySquad - First Strike! The Oscar winner will voice the bug mother of the film’s protagonist, while the Live Aid founder will voice a legendary insect rock star.
Grace Gummer (Love Story) is set to star alongside Dakota Fanning in Apple TV’s untitled thriller series. Gummer will play the daughter of the powerful chief of a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate that Fanning’s undercover agent character is tasked with infiltrating.
Daveigh Chase, most famous for her role as the haunting Samara Morgan in U.S. remake of The Ring (2002), dies at 35. She also voiced Lilo in the original animated Lilo & Stitch (2002) and the protagonist Chihiro in the American dub of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away (2001).
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Oscar-nominated producer David Permut (Hacksaw Ridge) is taking a chance on Ragamuffin, the debut feature from filmmaker Kaitlyn Mikayla. Starring Thunderbolts* actor Lewis Pullman, the film is based on Mikayla’s short film that Permut discovered at last year’s Sundance festival.
Inspired by Mikayla’s own experience in the world of motocross, the film will follow Mad Mike (Pullman) and his ambitious 14-year-old daughter as she competes in a summer-long tournament. There’s a dirty sexiness to it with the right amount of homespun, rural adrenaline that must have piqued Permut’s interest (trailer).
The coming-of-age drama is just one of many Sundance projects Permut has his name on alongside Olivia Wilde’s high-profile The Invite and the Dylan O’Brien-led Twinless.
Pre-production is now underway on Ragamuffin.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
After over a year of talk of the BBC’s financial concerns, new director general Matt Brittin announces spending will be cut by $107M across TV, radio, and news.
As part of the company’s new savings plan, over 500 roles will be eliminated by the start of 2027. The goal is to shave $670M in costs, or 15% annually, over the next three years, which means several existing shows will be canceled. The plan will involve merging divisions in the coming months and fewer opportunities for new commissions.
While it’s a grim day over at the BBC, finally gaining some clarity on a plan to keep the UK’s leading media brand and news channel afloat is at least a step in the right direction.
Mini Tidbit:
Studiocanal (Prod Co: Paddington series) is making a docuseries about one of the most famous art heists in the world. The Paris-Tokyo Job (Or How To Rob a Yakuza) follows Philippe “Fifi” Jamin, who became an international criminal after he began stealing famous artworks around the world, getting tangled with the Yakuza in the process.
ON THIS DAY
1952. Isabella Rossellini born in Rome, Italy.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Madelyn Menapace, and Tony Jaeyeong Jeong.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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