Ben Stiller's Grit, Naomi Watts's Gloom
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Cover Story on Severance Season 2.
In The Industry News: The Lord of the Rings new hire, BoulderLight’s limelight and Netflix’s father.
Actor Spotlight: Chris Hemsworth is a prince. Stephanie Hsu is a detective. And Isabelle Huppert’s needs.
Festivals: A breakout Tunisian film and John Turturro’s place on earth.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight/International News: Bleecker Street has The Friend and Sony Pictures Classics’ contenders.
Let’s go!
A new teaser for Season 2 of Severence just dropped.
The first season, directed by Ben Stiller, is one of the best TV shows of the decade.
Stiller, who directed five episodes of this new season, has had one of the most dramatic career shifts in Hollywood.
He ignited the screen with his pitch-perfect 90s-2000s comedy, playing zany, heartfelt, childishly innocent characters like in Zoolander, Meet the Fockers, and Night at the Museum before transitioning to more serious roles by 2017 (The Meyerowitz Stories, Brad’s Status).
And then he shifted to directing TV.
First, with Showtimes’ Escape at Dannemora (2018), a gritty prison escape drama starring Paul Dano and Benicio Del Toro, and then six episodes of Severance season 1 (2022), about a man who has his work and home memories surgically separated.
Stiller discussed his fascination with the show’s premise:
“They don't know they're kind of living this life and, you know, speaking in this sort of rhythm and making these workplace comedy jokes, but they don't know who they are or where they are or why they're there… that's kind of like, you know, life.”
The auto-pilot workplace dystopia is an apt metaphor for Stiller cranking out facsimile blockbuster entertainment.
Here’s the (light) Severance Season 2 synopsis:
Mark (Adam Scott) and his friends learn the dire consequences of trifling with the severance barrier, leading them further down a path of woe.
It remains to be seen if Stiller will rekindle his taste for acting, he recently starred in the light-hearted Nutcrackers (2024), or if he will continue to push himself to direct increasingly higher-concept projects.
For More:
Severance Season 2 teaser—more questions than answers.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
JD Payne and Patrick McKay (creators: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) have appointed Kevin Jarzynski as Head of Development & Production for their new company, 10:40 PM Productions, based at Amazon MGM Studios. Jarzynski, formerly a senior development and programing executive at Amazon Studios (Fallout, The Peripheral) will oversee the company's TV and film slate, including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3.
From Barbarian (2022) to Woman Of The Hour (2024) to TV deal. BoulderLight Pictures, the production company behind those two horror films, the latter, Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, which hit #1 on Netflix, just inked a first-look TV deal with A+E studios (Lincoln Lawyer, You). To oversee the company’s first foray into TV, BoulderLight has appointed Ben Purdy as President of Television. Purdy is coming off his previous job at Ace Entertainment (XO, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) as co-head of TV.
The documentary The French Montana Story: For Khadija, directed by Mandon Lovett, premieres on Paramount+ on November 19, following its Tribeca Film Festival debut. It explores the Moroccan-born rapper's rise to success, highlighting his mother's sacrifices and their family's immigrant journey.
Montana stated:
“This is the best project I’ve ever worked on in my life. It’s the first blueprint of an immigrant’s music dream, proving that anything is possible, and it’s not about the awards; it’s about what we learn from the losses and sacrifices,”
Montana joins a growing list of celebrities who are heavily involved in their own documentary, an auto-doc if you will. Trailer here.
Netflix has ordered Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, directed by Luke Sewel. This two-part documentary will explore the chaotic legacy of The Jerry Springer Show. Premiering January 7, the series reveals behind-the-scenes testimonies from producers and guests.
Renewals:
Netflix’s Virgin River (Season 7)
BBC’s We Might Regret This (Seasons 2, 3)
New TV season trailers:
Netflix’s Cobra Kai (Season 6 Part 2)
New pilot:
Hulu’s Phony
Dir/Wri: Nick Paley (Writer: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On)
Cast: Connie Britton (Nashville, Friday Night Lights)
Synopsis: After waking up from a freak car accident, Sonny discovers that his mother has been replaced by an impostor.
Roman Polanski settles 1973 rape case out of court. This is separate from the infamous 1977 quaalude statutory rape case where Polanski was similarly charged, which led him to flee to France, where he has remained to this day as the country does not extradite its citizens.
Harvey Weinstein, who has bone cancer, will face a single, consolidated trial next year for sex crimes against two women.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
King’s Prince. Disney and director Paul King are looking to rewrite the fairytale of Snow White but from the perspective of the bumbling Prince Charming. Thor’s Chris Hemsworth is in talks to play the titular role with Jon Croker and Simon Farnaby (both who worked with King previously on the Paddington films) writing the script.
After the unmeasurable love thrown at Ryan Gosling for his playful depiction of the classic Ken doll in last year’s summer phenomenon, Barbie, who’s to say Hollywood doesn’t have room in the spotlight for other extremely good looking but nonetheless overlooked characters we already know but just might not love yet.
Hemsworth who has had a busy year starring as the main antagonist in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (trailer) and voicing the iconic robot Optimus Prime in Paramount’s animated Transformers One (trailer), is no stranger to taking the humorous route in his performances.
Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love & Thunder (2022), the latest in the franchise, was heavily criticized for being overly goofy, while the Australian native’s comedic timing in his previous Marvel-led film, Thor: Ragnarok (2017, funny moments) played perfectly, a delicate balance of an intimidatingly confident ego and an out of touch silliness that would work well for a clueless Disney prince.
A box office magnet, King’s delicious movie musical Wonka made $634 M for Warner Bros. last holiday season, following the insane numbers his widely loved films Paddington (2014) and its sequel (2017) put up taking the world by storm one teddy bear sized duffle coat at a time.
Disney’s Prince Charming is currently in development with no official word yet on Hemsworth’s involvement.
All eyes are on Stephanie Hsu in Laid, that is, except for all of her exes, who are now dead?
Following the explosive success and critical acclaim of Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), Hsu stars as the lead in Laid, a new dark comedy from Peacock and Universal Television that takes a morbid idea and twists it into an awkward, relatable, and not your traditional romantic story.
Also credited as an EP, Hsu plays Ruby, a woman who finds out her former lovers are dying in unusual ways in the order in which she slept with them and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward. Ruby’s best friend AJ (played by Girls’ Zosia Mamet) helps keep her sex timeline in order so every last ex is accounted for.
Fresh Off the Boat writer Nahnatchka Khan is behind the series and believes in it so strongly in part due to Hsu’s performance, saying:
“You couldn’t do the story that we’re doing, I think, with anybody else, because she (Hsu) brings a sense of reality to everything she does. She makes it feel lived-in and funny and vulnerable.”
With notable and scene stealing supporting roles in Everything Everywhere and Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel series, Laid is Hsu’s first real opportunity in a lead role which she seems more than capable to tackle given the complex narratives and equally morbid and chaotic projects she’s been a part of in the past.
Watch the teaser trailer for Laid here before all eight episodes drop on December 19th only on Peacock.
If you are enjoying the newsletter and see its value, please consider supporting the newsletter by becoming a premium subscriber https://theindustry.co/subscribe
Youn Yuh-jung (Minari) is co-starring in Netflix’s Beef Season 2. Here’s the synopsis:
A young couple (Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton) witnesses an alarming fight between their boss (Oscar Isaac) and his wife (Carey Mulligan), triggering chess moves of favors and coercion in the elitist world of a country club and its Korean billionaire owner (Youn).
It’s easy to see how she Youn could be marvelously manipulative after her commanding sweetness as the grandma in Minari (“you’re crying over anchovies” clip) a role that won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. We look forward to seeing her in Beef Season 2. No word on shoot dates.
Tidbits:
The Monster, an upcoming suspense feature from Saw franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman casts Lauren Lavera in its lead role opposite two time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond). Lavera was the breakout star and final girl of one of this month’s most successful spooky films, Terrifier 3, the ultra-violent clown horror that has surprisingly gained $37 M so far in the box office. Set in NYC, The Monster is described as a con movie gone bad, with production picking up next month.
USA Network’s The Rainmaker expands its cast with Tommie Earl Jenkins, most known as the short-lived Mayor Noble Walker from Netflix’s Wednesday, has joined the cast. Based on John Grisham’s novel of the same name, Jenkins will play the mysterious owner of Yogi’s Bar, joining Mad Men’s John Slattery and actor Milo Callaghan in the lead role of Rudy Baylor. Production is currently underway on the courtroom drama from Blumhouse and Lionsgate, with no premiere date officially announced as of now.
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) leads a new horror film, I’m Your Host.
Here’s the synopsis:
A group of friends trapped in a deadly game show, where they must outwit a sadistic serial killer in a terrifying race for survival.
Haley has a chilling stillness to him. This was on full display as he played a pedophile in Little Children (2006), a role that he was Oscar-nominated for (clip).
I’m Your Host is currently filming in Rome.
Lola Petticrew stars in Hulu’s new series Say Nothing. She plays sister Dolours Price, a young woman who joins the IRA. In the trailer, she has a fiery confidence and knows how to make an entrance. Of particular impact is her busting into a bank in a nun uniform and robbing the place blind.
Debuts on Hulu Nov 14th.
French icon Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher, Elle) stars in A Traveler’s Needs by Director Hong Sangsoo. The film won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize in Berlin.
Synopsis: A French woman drinks makgeolli in Korea after losing her means of income, then teaches French to two Korean women.
The film Opens on November 22 at the Film Forum & Film at Lincoln Center.
FESTIVALS
MIPCOM is in hyper-gear with the TV deals happening left and right, as detailed in yesterday’s edition.
Today at the festival, a production company has announced their new slate of projects.
Mediapro Studio (Distributor: Hard Truths, Prod company: 2021’s Official Competiton starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas) is launching its first US slate.
Here are our three favorites:
Is There No Place on Earth for Me?
Writer/Dir: John Turturro
Synopsis: A brilliant Young woman’s striking, surprisingly humorous battle with schizophrenia
Turturro stated:
“I’ve always resisted doing one of these kind of films, because I’ve had personal experience in growing the brother, who also suffered with schizophrenia, but also got the book… I was really enthused that someone had captured all its complexities and humour and lust and manipulations and hopes and dreams.”
Witness 36
Showrunner: Evan Katz (writer/EP: 24)
Synopsis: A young woman who creates new identities at an extraterritorial witness protection program meets a guy at a bar one night whose personal story is exactly the same as one of the identities she’s thought up.
The Son of the Bride
Dir: Juan José Campanella (The Secret in Their Eyes)
Adaptation of The Son of the Bride (2001, trailer)
MICPOM runs through October 24th. Check out the festival here.
Tidbits:
A breakout Tunisian film, Red Path, an official selection at Locarno and VIFF, just scored UK/Irish distribution from Sovereign Films (Triangle of Sadness, Memoria).
Here’s the synopsis:
A group of men attack two young shepherds. Achraf, 13, is obliged to bring the head of his cousin Nizar to the family as a macabre message.
The trailer is well-framed, harrowing and intimate. The film will debut theatrically in mid-2025.
Heather Haynes is now the new Head of Programming at Hot Docs. The festival, the largest in North America for docs, has faced a slew of challenges after the former artistic director Hussain Currimbhoy, plus 10 programmers, resigned in March. The festival is known for championing the likes of Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, and Barbara Kopple (Shut Up and Sing).
Hopefully, this is a sign they’re rebounding after facing significant operational challenges.
Haynes has been at Hot Docs for 19 years and has been instrumental in the festival’s success and nurturing many burgeoning documentary filmmakers.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Bleecker Street has The Friend. The indie distributor currently in theaters with Rumours just picked up North American rights for The Friend, which premiered at Telluride and played at TIFF and NYFF.
The film follows a story of love, friendship, grief, and healing about a writer (Naomi Watts) who adopts a Great Dane that belonged to a late friend and mentor (Bill Murray).
Bleecker Street CEO Andrew Karpen stated:
“The Friend is a quintessential New York story, featuring incredible writing and emotional performances that honor the power of friendship, facing grief, and especially the singular comfort animals provide.”
The directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel are wonderfully adept navigating asymmetrical relationship dynamics as they did in What Maisie Knew (2012) told through the POV of a six-year-old witnessing her parents marriage unravel and being both manipulated and loved.
Their last film, Montana Story (2021), also a Bleecker Street release, shares a lot of thematic/story DNA with The Friend. That film revolved around a woman from NYC flying back to Montana to help with her dad’s terminal illness who winds up reconnecting with her childhood horse (trailer). The directors seem interested in investigating animals and grief.
The Friend will be released in early 2025.
Maude Apatow has cast Cooper Hoffman and Leslie Mann as the leads in her feature directorial debut Poetic License. The film, produced by Apatow's Jewelbox Pictures, follows Liz, a former therapist, who becomes the center of tension between two best friends as their friendship unravels.
Production will begin in late 2024.
Starting a new job is hard. But what if the job you started was inherited from your deceased husband, that of a police constable? That’s the premise for Santosh UK’s submission to the Oscars for Best International Film.
It had quite a festival run:
Premiere: Cannes Un Certain Regard
Official Selection: TIFF/Telluride
Distributor: Metrograph
Here’s the trailer showcasing the brutal Indian caste crime drama. In theaters December 27th.
Tidbit:
Sony Pictures Classics is getting ready for the Oscars. It just revealed release dates for its awards contenders:
Wri/Dir: Pedro Almodóvar,
Limited NY/LA release: Dec 20
Wide release: Jan 17th
I’m Still Here (Brazil’s Oscar Submission)
Dir: Walter Salles (dir: The Motorcycle Diaries)
Awards week release: November
Limited release: Jan 17th
Wide Release: Feb 14
Brazil has never won an Oscar in any of the Best Film categories. The last nominated Best International Feature Film was Salles’ Central Station in 1999.
ON THIS DAY
1976. 1st Toronto International Film Festival opens.
See you Friday!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
Follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | X
Want to advertise with us? Email: clarke.scott@theindustry.co