Benedict Cumberbatch
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Cumberbatch. Citadel. Pangolin.
Let’s go!
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Benedict Cumberbatch gets divorced.
The War of the Roses remake has arrived, directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents) and written by the comedically absurd Poor Things scribe Tony McNamara.
The trailer brings with it a funnier Cumberbatch than we have ever seen.
Here’s the synopsis:
A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple is ignited when the husband's professional dreams come crashing down.
Playing opposite Olivia Coleman, Cumberbatch leans into deadpan delivery and physical comedy, showcasing a sharp, self-deprecating edge reminiscent of his recent turn in Wes Anderson’s Henry Sugar.
He plays tragedy for laughs as a husband locked in a hilariously vicious divorce battle.
There’s a marvelous emotional intelligence in his humor that is a million miles away from his character in Sherlock, where he was often the butt of the joke. There, his eccentric genius was the center of all attention, which made him an easy target, never to be bested by criminals, but instead to be made a mockery of by how he looked at society differently.
He excels at sticking out. Being the odd one at the table. And this often gives him an edge because we are drawn to either empathize with or be repulsed by his characters. But in The Roses, he recaptures an autonomy by playing the role for laughs—channeling his outsider energy into weaponized wit.
THE ROSES arrives in theaters August 29th.
For More:
Check out the trailer here.
Henry Sugar clip.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Prime’s mega-budget Citadel series has cancelled its spinoffs.
Lindsay Lohan stars in Hulu’s Count My Lies, her first-ever lead TV role.
Comedian Nate Bargatze will host the 77th Emmy Awards.
Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky's R-rated animated film Fixed has found a home on Netflix.
Sony Pictures Television will adapt the popular Chinese series The Bad Kids.
Robert Atwood has been named Head of Television at Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment.
Natasha Lyonne’s Poker Face season 2 has a trailer
David O. Russell's Amazon MGM film Madden adds John Mulaney.
Michael Shannon will play an NFL Hall of Fame coach in Sykdance’s Mr. Irrelevant.
Doug Jones, a man of a thousand faces, has boarded The Weeping.
Michael Keaton is joining Robert De Niro in The Whisper Man.
Disney’s animated slate will premiere at Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
AcidCannes drops a line-up.
Nelson Greaves writes the script Nanny Cam for Amazon, MGM Orion Pictures.
Pippa Ehrlich (dir: My Octopus Teacher) next film is Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey for Netflix.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Prime’s mega-budget Citadel series has cancelled its spinoffs, Diana (the Italian version trailer) and Honey Bunny (Indian version trailer). That’s an outcome that was pretty much expected.
The lead creative executive, Jennifer Salke, recently departed the company. And the second season of the Russo brothers-directed series was pushed from fall 2025 to spring 2026. These were always very expensive, with the first season costing a whopping $250M and total production costs across all series and spinoffs at $500M total.
In her first-ever lead TV role, Freaky Friday’s Lindsay Lohan is starring in Count My Lies, a drama series adaptation in development at Hulu. Based on author Sophie Stava’s recently published debut novel, Count My Lies is a mystery story that follows a young compulsive liar who fibs her way into a nanny position for a seemingly perfect and wealthy couple who are hiding more than she could have ever known. This Is Us producers/co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger are writing the scripts.
Tidbits:
Comedian Nate Bargatze will host the 77th Emmy Awards, airing live on CBS from Los Angeles on September 14. Known for his family-friendly humor, Bargatze recently sold over 1.2 million comedy show tickets and co-produced Nashville Christmas. He had what many consider to be the funniest SNL sketch in recent times - clip. He seems like a safe pick, but one that no one could really be mad at.
Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky's R-rated animated film Fixed has found a home on Netflix. It follows a dog’s wild night before neutering. Initially dropped by Warner Bros., the raunchy comedy features voices from Adam DeVine, Kathryn Hahn, and Idris Elba.
Premieres on Netflix globally on August 13, 2025.
Sony Pictures Television gets bad. They have acquired the Chinese series The Bad Kids and will develop it into an English-language series.
Synopsis:
Three children unintentionally film a murder scene. As they become involved with the suspect, it opens up a case that is far more complicated than it looks and entraps several families into an unpredictable outcome.
Marco Ramirez (EP/Writer: Netflix’s Daredevil) will write, showrun, and produce. Neal H. Moritz (EP: The Boys, Sonic The Hedgehog franchises) will serve as producer.
The series was a major hit in China, becoming one of the most-watched (trailer).
Mini Tidbits:
Robert Atwood has been named Head of Television at Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment, filling a long-vacant role under its Netflix deal. Formerly EVP at Legendary Television, Atwood oversaw hits like Monarch and Dune: Prophecy.
Regal Cinemas has brought on Brooks LeBoeuf as the new head of U.S. content. Working closely with Regal’s internal team, LeBoeuf will manage all acquisition, distribution, and programming responsibilities, interfacing with film studios and content providers.
The WGA has barred members from working on the avalanche action film Wall of White, citing producer Randall Emmett’s repeated violations, unpaid writer dues, and failure to meet guild obligations. Martin Scorsese is also a producer.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Natasha Lyonne’s wacky casino worker turned gumshoe detective Charlie Cale is back in a new trailer for season two of Poker Face. The Rian Johnson-created series includes an impressive cast of stars, including Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo (first look photo), whose character’s true identity is questioned in the opening scene of the extended trailer.
In addition to Lyonne garnering widespread acclaim for her as the quick-witted and instinctive Cale, the first season of the Columbo-style mystery series accumulated 547M minutes of watch time in its premiere week and received numerous nominations.
One of Peacock’s highest-rated originals, the highly anticipated second season will not only be jam-packed with A-list stars but is sure to bring the mayhem. The twelve-episode season premieres on May 8th (followed by a weekly release).
Madden adds to its team: David O. Russell's upcoming Amazon MGM Studios film Madden, centered on iconic coach and broadcaster John Madden, is assembling a powerhouse cast. Joining previously announced Nicolas Cage (John Madden) and Christian Bale (Al Davis):
John Mulaney - Trip Hawkins (founder of EA Sports)
Kathryn Hahn - Virginia Madden (John Madden’s wife)
Sienna Miller - Carol Davis (Al Davis’ wife)
All are in final talks for key supporting roles. Production begins next month in Atlanta.
From Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans (2000, scene) to Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday (1999, scene), some of cinema’s greatest speeches and moments of inspiration come from coaches.
Skydance Sports announces Oscar-nominated Michael Shannon is set to play longtime NFL coach and Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells in Mr. Irrelevant, the true story of former player and last-round draft pick John Tuggle. Shannon has made a career of depicting prominent men like:
The iconic country singer George Jones in Showtime’s George & Tammy (2022, clip)
or the real-life hitman Richard Kuklinski in The Iceman (2012)
He consistently gives powerful performances, which makes him a great actor to take on such a respected and eminent coach. Superman’s David Corenswet will play the titular role opposite Shannon in the football drama, which is currently in production.
New crime thriller feature By Any Means from Elegance Bratton (dir. The Inspection) adds seven actors to its cast, joining Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman):
Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad)
Nicole Beharie (The Morning Show)
Josh Lucas (Palm Royale)
David Strathairn (Lincoln)
Ethan Embry (Grace and Frankie)
LisaGay Hamilton (The Dropout)
Tony winner LaChanze (Broadway’s The Outsiders)
Set in 60s Mississippi, the civil rights film began production earlier this week in Atlanta.
Tidbits:
Doug Jones, a man of a thousand faces, has joined The Weeping, a haunted forest horror film written and directed by Spyder Dobrofsky (Down Below). The story follows campers who awaken an ancient witch in a sacred Native American forest, currently in pre-production.
Rudy Pankow joins Maika Monroe in Reminders of Him, Universal’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel about grief, forgiveness, and second chances. The film follows a woman rebuilding her life post-incarceration. Pankow’s breakout was as the star of Netflix’s Outer Banks series (trailer).
Erinn Hayes and Scott Foley lead It’s Not Like That, a faith-tinged dramedy for Prime Video. She’s a newly divorced mom; he’s a widowed minister. Sparks? Maybe. Brad Silberling (Dir: Casper, Jane the Virgin) directs the pilot. Created by Ian Deitchman (writer/Co-EP: Suits) and Kristin Robinson, the series explores single parenthood, spiritual ambiguity, and second chances.
Michael Keaton is joining Robert De Niro in The Whisper Man, a crime thriller feature from Netflix. The two were last seen together in Jackie Brown. Keaton is said to have a cameo role.
FESTIVALS
We love Acid Cannes. It’s where you can discover films like last year’s Josh Mond-directed, Christopher Abbott-starring film, It Doesn't Matter. Here is the Cannes Acid program for 2025. One of the films, Drunken Noodle, has lapped up international sales agent M-Appeal (Evil Does Not Exist).
Disney’s top new films are premiering at a festival. Is it Cannes? No! It’s the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
They’re giving a sneak peek of:
Zootopia 2 (Disney)
Eyes of Wakanda (Marvel Animation)
Elio (Pixar)
Hoppers (Pixar, early footage only)
Toy Story 5 (Pixar, early footage only)
Black (Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Visions short)
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (one episode, Lucasfilm)
The festival runs June 8th–14th.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Nelson Greaves excels at techno-horror. He is writing the screenplay based on his short story Nanny Cam for Amazon, MGM Orion Pictures, which centers on a strained married couple who get a rare night out away from their kids, but see something horrible on the nanny cam, forcing them to work together.
Greaves is amassing an oeuvre of horror films that use technology as the hinge:
Co-writer of the Paul Giamatti as paranormal radio host DJ Art Bell supernatural biopic
Co-writer of the chatroom horror Unfriended (2014, trailer)
George Tillman Jr. (Big George Foreman, The Longest Ride) is directing. No word on production dates.
Tidbits:
From Octopus to Pangolin. Pippa Ehrlich’s 2021 Academy Award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher pulled on the collective heartstrings by personifying a cephalopod in a way that elevated it beyond the typical nature documentary. Now he’s directing a docu-series about reintroducing a captured Pangolin (those scaly creatures) into the wild.
Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey will drop on Netflix’s April 21st. The trailer is too adorable not to watch.
Fabel Entertainment (Amazon’s Bosch) has promoted Jasmine Russ as the new SVP. Replacing Melissa Aouate, who has become Blumhouse Television’s new President, Russ will lead the company’s creative direction and be a key player in guiding original content. She has been with Fabel since 2018 and will start her new role effective immediately.
Mini Tidbits:
The David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross) Shia LaBeouf film, Henry Johnson, finally has a trailer. It follows a man seeking his moral compass while meeting authority figures, including his future cellmate Gene. Trailer here. Henry Johnson will premiere in LA on May 9th. The film will then become available online.
Stranger Things star Matthew Modine is producing Michael Caton-Jones: This Broxburn Boy’s Life, a documentary on the Scottish director who launched Leonardo DiCaprio’s career. A peek into the discovery of one of the most prolific actors of our generation.
New documentary Arcades & Love Songs follows King of Kong referee and local legend Walter Day, now 74, as he chases his musical dreams. Trailer here.
Turn it up to 11 (again): Sony Pictures Worldwide has acquired international rights to Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the long-awaited sequel to the 1984 cult classic as well a newly restored original This Is Spinal Tap. Bleecker Street took domestic rights on both last month, with Spinal Tap II: The End Continues releasing on September 12th.
ON THIS DAY
2011. Game of Thrones premieres on HBO.
See you Friday!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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