Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Bond finds writer. Ocean’s 14 find director. Aaron Sorkin finds Mark Zuckerberg.
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The James Bond films are hard scripts to get right.
Steven Knight (writer: Locke, Creator: Peaky Blinders) has just been hired for the tricky task of writing the next Bond film under director Denis Villeneuve.
The challenge with the Bond scripts is that they need the perfect alchemy of action, sex, and top-class banter. Coupled with painting Bond with bravado, yet making him seem prehistoric (or, in these later films, emotionally vulnerable).
Knight for his part, can write these characters tearing themselves to pieces to perfection. Just watch Locke (2013, wri/dir: Knight), the most underrated A24 film and see how Tom Hardy devolves into his personal hell, sacrificing his life in the name of duty.
But above all else, the villain must be richly scripted so that we feel as if 007 has a real probability of failure. Just think about the best Bond villains:
Goldfinger + Oddjob
Blofeld
Raoul Silva
From Goldfinger’s No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” to Skyfall’s rat story, there’s a real chance in each of these films that Bond won’t make it out alive.
Knight’s ability to script villains is not in question. Take Oswald Mosley (clip, played by Sam Claflin), a suave but sinister fascist leader, whose polished rhetoric masks a ruthless ambition. He’s a calculated provocateur, defined by layered subtlety, and a relentless hunger for power, staples of Knight’s compelling antagonists.
If the brilliance of Knight’s past villainous characters is any indication, Bond’s next enemy won’t just be evil; they’ll be able to squeeze his soul.
For More:
Why Bond changed after Pierce Brosnan: https://theindustry.co/p/how-jason-bourne-changed-cinema
What a Denis Villeneuve-directed Bond will look like: https://theindustry.co/p/bond-finds-director
Locke trailer.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Paramount, Apple, Amazon, Roku, Comcast & Banijay release Q2 earnings. Full breakdown.
Peacock picks up Eli Roth’s Hostel series starring Paul Giamatti.
Paramount Licensing Chief Dan Cohen exits.
WBD extends exec contracts for JB Perrette and Bruce Campbell.
Lynette Howell Taylor named new Academy president.
Jeremy Strong eyed to play Mark Zuckerberg in Sorkin’s The Social Network 2.
Ariel Winter cast in Clash of the Thundermans movie for Nickelodeon.
Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother acquired by 12 territories.
Mike Figgis unveils doc Megadoc trailer Coppola’s Megalopolis.
Deathstalker reboot acquired by Shout! Studios.
Plan B’s Preparation for the Next Life trailer drops.
Netflix Colombia unveils 10-title slate.
South Korea’s My Daughter is a Zombie breaks box office record.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Lee Isaac Chung (Dir: Twisters, Minari) is in talks to direct Ocean’s 14 (a prequel). He would replace David Leitch (Bullet Train), who was the first contender for the coveted gig.
Chung is really good at exploring and deepening this notion of family. We saw it in Minari, we saw it in Twisters (to some extent) and now that he has the big budget piece of filmmaking, able to execute technically challenging setups with much simultaneous action, the Oscar nominated director seems to be fully equipped to bring new life to the favorite heist story.
Want to know the plot of Ocean’s 14? Click here: http://theindustry.co/p/george-clooney-a-dumpster-fire
Paramount, Apple, Amazon, Roku, Comcast, and Banijay Entertainment released Q2 2025 earnings.
Click here for the full breakdown and the takeaways for the industry at large: https://theindustry.co/p/paramount-apple-amazon-roku-banjay
Peacock is doubling down on horror. Realizing the post-Terrifier 3 moment we’re in, they’ve picked up the Hostel TV series starring Paul Giamatti from director Eli Roth, who helmed Hostel (2006) and Hostel 2 (2007).
The first film centered on some unsuspecting sex tourists who get trapped in a deranged torture dungeon for rich customers to play out their most twisted fantasies (trailer).
Peacock recently launched the original horror series Teacup (trailer) and has Crystal Lake with A24 coming up so they have no aversion to slasher series. Roth will write and direct. Fifth Season (Severance) is the studio.
Tidbits:
Paramount’s Licensing Chief Dan Cohen has officially exited the company. He spent 20 years at Disney before his eight-year tenure at Paramount, where he was responsible for selling content to international broadcasters and streamers around the world. Cohen was also President of Paramount’s Republic Pictures.
Warner Bros. Discovery gives out two contract extensions to senior executives JB Perrette and Bruce Campbell. The new deals are contingent with the company’s separation going through, with Campbell set to become the COO of Warner Bros. post-split. Perrette will continue as President and CEO of global streaming and games. The agreement extension runs through 2030 and 2029, respectively, with WBD’s separation set to be completed by mid-2026.
Lynette Howell Taylor has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, succeeding Janet Yang. An Oscar-nominated producer (A Star is Born), Howell Taylor previously chaired the Academy’s Awards Committee. Along with various new positions getting filled, it's exciting to see if Lynette might be able to shake up the Oscars. It was recently reported that academy voters admitted to not watching all nominations, so maybe we could start with that.
Mini Tidbit:
After only 35 days in theaters, Superman will be on digital VOD August 15th. This just goes to show how much streaming has changed the blockbuster landscape. Hopefully, more people get a chance to experience the joy that it brings. Get ready, James Gunn is already working on the sequel.
UTA vs. Media Link’s Michael Kassan. A major Hollywood legal battle has resulted in a settlement. No terms were disclosed, but the lawsuit gave us an inside look into UTA’s dealings: https://theindustry.co/p/uta-and-media-link.
Billionaire Barry Diller’s Dotdash Meredith (People, Entertainment, Travel + Leisure) rebrands as People Inc. Diller was the head of Paramount Pictures in 1974-1984 and the founder/chairperson of the media company IAC (owner: People Inc.).
Charter and Cox merger into $34.5bn cable giant has been approved by Charter shareholders.
WGA Awards will take place Sunday, March 8, 2026. Submissions open Sept 15.
Production Starting:
Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day (in Scotland).
Angel of Death, scripted by Shia LaBeouf and directed by EO’s Jerzy Skolimowski (next week in Poland).
Premiere Dates:
Paramount+’s Tulsa King (S3)
Premiere: Sept 21
Netflix’s Nouvelle Vague
Theatrical Release: Oct. 31st
Netflix release: Nov 14th
Netflix will be pushing this for the Oscars.
Trailer:
Quiver’s We Strangers
Premiere: SXSW
Release: Aug 22nd
20th Century/Hulu’s Eenie Meanie
Cast: Samara Weaving, Karl Glusman
Release: Aug 22
Warner Bros.’ The Conjuring: The Last Rites
Cast: Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson
Release: Sept 5
Renewal:
Netflix’s animated Long Story Short (for Season 2)
Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman)
Season 1 trailer
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
From Roy Cohn to Kendall Roy to Mark Zuckerberg, Jeremy Strong has begun carving out a niche playing neurotic men whose downfall is driven by a hubris rooted in self-obsession.
Strong is in major talks to star as the Facebook founder in the highly anticipated The Social Network Part II. Jesse Eisenberg will not be returning for the role.
The film is not a direct sequel but a follow-up to the 2010 Best Picture nominee, with original writer Aaron Sorkin attached to write and direct. A number of potential castings have been thrown out there with no official announcements made as of late.
Modern Family’s Ariel Winter has been cast in Nickelodeon’s Clash of the Thundermans movie, a continuation of the popular super sitcom and last year’s The Thundermans Return.
Despite her recent pivot towards darker, more mature roles, like in the thriller Don’t Log Off (trailer), Winter is making her unexpected return to family-friendly fare.
Filming has begun in Vancouver and is expected to drop on Nickelodeon and Paramount+ in 2026.
Mini Tidbit:
Netflix’s popular sci-fi series 3 Body Problem adds Game of Thrones’ Alfie Allen for a recurring role in its second season. Production has begun in Hungary with the season described to be following humanity’s preparation as an alien invasion nears. Hopefully, Allen has better luck in this world than he did in Westeros.
Indie romcom, Red Flags, is led by TV personalities Vanessa Simmons (Deadly Entanglement) and Melyssa Ford (Trapped in the Spotlight) set during a wedding day that begins to unravel after a shocking secret from the groom is revealed.
Canadian crime drama Murder in a Small Town adds three to its cast ahead of its 2nd season. The Flash actress Bethany Brown, Marci T. House (Tracker), and The Master’s Joshua Close all join the Fox detective procedural in recurring roles expected to premiere sometime this fall.
Tone Bell (The Flash) will star in dark comedy Transcending as an artist rebounding from a big city break-up with the owner of a haunted bed and breakfast, but the haunting really puts a wrench in things. Currently shooting in Kansas City.
Tom Segura’s (Netflix’s Bad Thoughts) first feature El Tigre has cast Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Snowfall) as the villain. The R-rated comedy follows a man (Segura) mistaken for a missing cartel leader in Mexico. The tone is Scarface meets Hulu’s Dave.
FESTIVALS
Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother has been picked up by 12 territories including Italy and Spain.
Cast: Adam Driver, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Charlotte Rampling
Producer: Joshua Astrachan (It Follows, Paterson, Gosford Park)
Synopsis:
Estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.
It will premiere at Venice. Mubi will release in North America and UK/Ireland.
Two Locarno films find sales agents:
MoreThan Films has picked up Blue Heron.
Cinefrance International (parent company: Cinefrance Studios: Black Tea) has picked up Yakushima’s Illusion starring Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread).
Synopsis:
A French transplant coordinator in Japan works to save a boy's life while searching for her missing partner, who becomes one of the country's thousands of annual 'Johatsu' - people who vanish without a trace.
Full Locarno line-up here: https://theindustry.co/p/locarno-film-festival-2025.
Reel Suspects (sales rep: We’re All Going to the World’s Fair) has picked up Anything That Moves, an erotic thriller that played at Fantasia Festival.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Mike Figgis (dir: Leaving Las Vegas) Venice Classics doc, Megadoc centers on the tumultuous making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.
If you’re expecting something like the Apocalypse Now making-of doc Heart of Darkness, you’re likely not going to have it.
The trailer makes Coppola seem more like Willy Wonka than in his filmmaker’s apocalypse. Still, Figgis isn’t known for pulling punches, and the Megalopolis production was challenging and ambitious. So we’ll wait and see.
Writer/Director Blaise has assembled a high-profile cast for his debut feature, Callback. Based on his short of the same name, Callback takes a hard look at the choices and sacrifices actors make.
Dennis Quaid, Asa Germann, and Aaron Moten lead the pack, which also includes a massive ensemble of huge names like Jai Courtney, Hamish Linklater, and Willa Fitzgerald.
The short debuted at the Hollyshorts film festival last August, but it didn't come home with any awards, it appears this casting is based on the impressive script and potentially the subject matter hitting actors close to home. Currently shooting in NY.
Tidbits:
Lions & tigers & paywalls, oh my!
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