Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Brendan Fraser’s Family, Matt Smith’s Wars, and Jimmy Stewart’s double.
Let’s go!
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Brendan Fraser is doubling down on his career renaissance.
He stars in Searchlight Pictures' upcoming Rental Family, which shares strong plot elements with Lost In Translation.
Synopsis:
An American actor (Fraser) struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working in Japan for a "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers.
On the surface, it sounds like an alternative universe Lost in Translation, where a famous foreign actor is adrift in Tokyo, searching for meaning.
But Rental Family is not that. Fraser, unlike Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, is not playing himself but instead an unknown actor.
What’s beautiful about Lost in Translation is how disconnected Bill Murray feels from every bit of his life. That is, until Scarlett Johansson infuses him with the ability to enjoy what’s in front of him.
What I find more interesting is how Fraser’s Rental Family relates to what I consider the greatest film of the last 15 years: Holy Motors.
In Leos Carax’s masterwork, Denis Lavant plays a man whose job is to portray various roles throughout the day. During breakfast, he might play a beggar on the street, at lunchtime a father on his deathbed, and at night a long-lost lover. That film keys into the idea that we’re constantly playing ourselves, that life is a series of performances.
Rental Family homes in on this crossover between performance and reality. But in a way that allows Fraser to be pulled out of the rut of his own life. In a way, acting as a caregiver makes him a caregiver.
If Fraser’s own 2nd act of his career is any indicator, a good performance really can be a rebirth.
Release date Nov 21st.
For More:
Rental Family trailer.
Holy Motors trailer.
Lost in Translation trailer.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Fox launches Fox One, a streaming service offering Fox News.
Roku unveils Howdy, an ad-free streaming service.
Skydance’s leadership expands: 10 board members + 2 execs join and 1 big exit.
Sony is in development on a Spider-Punk spin-off with Daniel Kaluuya.
Netflix revives T.J. Hooker, a cop comedy.
Michelle Vicary returns to Hallmark as Head of Programming.
Mel Gibson’s Resurrection of the Christ will be split into 2 parts. Both releasing 2027.
Matt Smith joins Star Wars as the lead villain.
KJ Apa will play Jimmy Stewart in a It’s a Wonderful Life biopic.
Ben Kingsley & Andy Serkis join Angel Studios’ Young Washington.
Ramy Youssef exits Will Ferrell’s Netflix golf comedy.
Jason Isaacs (White Lotus S3) joins the cast of Eleven Days.
Zosia Mamet joins Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial.
NYFF 2025 full lineup breakdown here.
TIFF Centerpiece drops 55 film lineup.
BAFTA TV Awards 2026 entries now open.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Fox and Roku are both starting separate streaming services:
Fox One’s offerings:
Fox News Channel
Fox Business Network
Fox Weather
E.G., the streaming service will not have any originals and just provide the broadcast channels to those w/o cable.
Cost: $19.99/month.
Fox Q4 / full year financials breakdown.
Howdy! Roku is launching Howdy, a $2.99/month ad-free streaming service featuring 10,000 hours of content from major partners including Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, in addition to select Roku Original titles. Seems like a deal too good to be true…
Paramount Skydance Corp. leadership continues to take shape, now adding 10 board members and 2 executives, and one big exit. Full breakdown: https://theindustry.co/p/skydances-leadership
Tidbits:
Everyone loved Daniel Kaluuya's Spider-Punk in Across the Spider-Verse, so much so that Hobie Brown, aka the punk version of Spider-Man, is getting his own spin-off. With how the third film in the series keeps getting pushed back far into 2027, this could be a nice tide me over. The character's animation was absolutely incredible.
Netflix has acquired screen adaptation rights to T.J. Hooker, a 1980s cop procedural starring William Shatner. Jarrad Paul and Andy Mogel will write the script, with Rick Husky, the original series creator, EPing. No doubt feeling the rush of cop comedy left by Naked Gun’s modest success. The intro is very 1980s.
Two of this year’s biggest live shows: Netflix’s Beyoncé Bowl and SNL 50: The Anniversary will battle it out in Primetime as the Emmys have moved the Live Variety Special Category to its main broadcast. The Emmys will take place on Sept. 14th on CBS and Paramount+.
Netflix’s animated Roald Dahl adaptation The Twits announces Talking Heads frontman David Byrne will be contributing three original songs to the film’s soundtrack. Winning an Oscar for his score for The Last Emperor (1987), Byrne is now another big name attached to the film, which is led by Natalie Portman. Releases on Netflix Oct. 17th.
Former exec Michelle Vicary has been named Head of Programming of Hallmark Media. Vicary previously worked for the company for 22 years before departing in 2021. She’s now back at Hallmark to take on the new leadership position.
Francis Ford Coppola has been hospitalized following a screening of Megalopolis in Rome. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Trailers:
Netflix’s My Life With the Walter Boys (Season 2)
Release: Aug 28
Paramount Pictures’ Regretting You
Cast: Allison Williams, McKenna Grace, Dave Franco
Dir: Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars)
Source material author: Colleen Hoover
Release:
Netflix’s The Resurrected
Star: Shu Qi (The Transporter)
Release: Oct 9
Apple TV+’s Invasion (Season 3)
Release: Aug 22nd
Release Date:
Lionsgate’s The Resurrection of the Christ
Dir/Co-Writer/Prod: Mel Gibson
Pt 1 release: Good Friday, March 26, 2027
Pt 2 release: Ascension Day, May 6, 2027
Disney+’s Twisted Wonderland
Release: Oct 29
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Matt Smith (finally) joins Star Wars; he will apparently be taking on the mantle of the leading villain.
We could see him as an alien or a Star Wars Imperial Officer.
There were rumors of him being eyed for a role in Rise of Skywalker, with further rumors claiming he had even shot as a younger version of Emperor Palpatine, but the sequence had been cut. The source on that is hazy but not unbelievable, with the behind-the-scenes butchering that the script and edit went through.
No stranger to the sci-fi and outlandish, Smith really came into his own as the beloved but wacky 11th Doctor Who. Following that up with a menacing turn as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Smith has had quite a few "TV” wins, but his silver screen stabs haven't been as lucky. He starred as the villain in the absolutely horrible Morbius, which I am sure was pitched as a returning role, but mercifully, Sony has pulled the plug on that.
Could this be a chance for Smith to fulfill his destiny? Sorry, Star Wars on the brain.
It’s a Wonderful Life for Riverdale’s KJ Apa, who is set to star as Jimmy Stewart in a biopic about the creation of the beloved Christmas classic and the renowned actor’s career post his time as a WWII aviator.
Apa shared:
“I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and feel so honored I get to bring his story to life. I’ve long admired that generation of American men who stood for patriotism, integrity, and a deep sense of duty.”
This would be major casting for any young actor, for Apa, best known for his role as Archie Andrews on CW’s long-running teen series Riverdale (Archie coincidentally has also saved someone from a frozen lake in this scene), this will be his most high-profile feature lead role yet.
The untitled biopic is slated for a theatrical premiere Nov. 2026.
It has just been announced that Ramy Youssef, Josh Rabinowitz, and Andy Campagna exited Will Ferrell’s Netflix golf comedy as EPs last year. The trio cited creative differences, and Youssef will no longer act as showrunner. It's not all bad news, though, former SNL and frequent collaborator Molly Shannon has joined the cast.
We don't know much more about the story so far, just that Ferrell will star as a fictional golf legend. Taking on the mantle of a prolific sports legend seems to be Ferrell's bread and butter, with Talladega Nights, Semi-Pro, and Blades of Glory to name a few.
Do what you know, I guess.
Tidbits:
Big Names for Young Washington, Ben Kingsley, and Andy Serkis join Young Washington, a presidential origin film from Angel Studios. Directed by Jon Erwin, the film stars William Franklyn-Miller as a young George Washington navigating failure and growth during the French and Indian War. Adding two big names signals Angels' sincerity in establishing itself as a real studio outside of its spiritual lean. Releases nationwide over Independence Day weekend 2026.
Jason Isaacs (White Lotus S3) will play a prison priest in Eleven Days, a Texas-set thriller from director Peter Landesman (Concussion). The film follows the 1974 Huntsville prison siege, where Carrasco (Diego Luna) held hostages in a failed escape. In the movie, Isaacs will offer himself up as a hostage. It’s this kind of righteousness that feels very opposite to his White Lotus S3 portrayal of a manic father, obsessed with his misdeeds.
Mini Tidbits:
Girls’ Zosia Mamet is the newest addition to Artificial, the ensemble-heavy, highly anticipated film from Luca Guadagnino (Challengers) and Amazon MGM. Described as a dramedy set in the world of AI.
Amazon MGM has announced that Tom Davis (Wonka) will be joining the cast of The Roots’ Roots Manœuvre, directed by Raine Allen-Miller (Rye Lane). Described as a heist film taking place during an extravagant wedding. In production.
Charlie Hall (Single Drunk Female) and Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg (Charmed) are set to join Apple’s Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, a dark comedy thriller starring Tatiana Maslany as a mom entangled in murder, blackmail, and youth soccer.
Cinema’s favorite sidekick, Alfie Wise, has passed at 82. A longtime Burt Reynolds friend and collaborator, Wise had supporting roles in films like The Cannonball Run (1981), Smokey and the Bandit (1977, scene), and The Longest Yard (1974). His scene-stealing roles will forever be iconic.
FESTIVALS
New York Film Festival full breakdown: https://theindustry.co/p/the-nyff-2025-lineup.
TIFF Centerpiece Section. We’ll have a full breakdown on this later today, but there are some interesting world premieres here, including:
Erupcja, a wild love story between a Polish florist and a British tourist (Charli xcx)
Good Boy, by Jan Komasa (dir: Corpus Christi), a twisted thriller about freedom and identity, starring Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough
I Swear, from Kirk Jones (dir: Waking Ned Devine)
Wasteman, starring David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus)
Venice:
Shu Qi (actress in The Transporter trailer) directs Venice Official Selection, Girl. The film has just been sold to two foreign territories: French distribution company Ad Vitam (Whiplash, Good Time) and Italy for I Wonder Pictures (Eddington, The Substance). Goodfellas (Megalopolis, The Boy and the Heron) brokered the deals.
Cannes:
Cannes Critics Week Winner, the animated film Dandelion Odyssey, has sold to 8 territories, including Switzerland. The trailer is like we’re in some sort of primordial soup following a dandelion.
Locarno trailers/first looks:
Grab your garlic, grab your Crucifixes, the resurgence of Dracula is incoming! Don’t Expect Too Much From the End of the World (2023) director Radu Jude is bringing his take on the legendary character with his next film, Dracula. Clip.
Willem Dafoe’s birthday party. The Greek feature The Birthday Party is about a 1970s billionaire (Dafoe) throwing a lavish birthday party for his daughter and sole heiress on his exclusive private island in the Mediterranean. Poster.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
George Clooney stars as himself. It's hard not to see the parallels between Clooney’s life and fictional super-famous actor Jay Kelly.
In Noah Baumbach's newest film, we don't get too much, just that A-lister Jay Kelly is up for a lifetime achievement award, and his manager (Adam Sandler) is tagging along. Like many of Baumbach's movies (Marriage Story), it feels understated and conversational.
But there is something very Being John Malkovich about Clooney signing autographs and Hollywood shmoozing all the while repeating his own name by rote. Heading to Venice, Telluride, and NYFF, this one is looking very award-focused already.
Check out Netflix’s teaser here.
Mini Tidbits:
Larry Fessenden has wrapped Trauma Or, Monsters All, a sequel uniting characters from three of his previous films, Habit, Depraved, and Blackout. What is this? Some kind of monster movie, Avengers?
Available for Oscar qualification, Maja Mikkelsen’s documentary short, The Last Observers, is visually stunning and an incredibly personal narrative for her debut project. The short film tells the true story of her parents’ decades-long devotion to weather tracking on a remote Swedish coast. Short Film: The Last Observers.
Entries are now open for the 2026 BAFTA TV Awards set for Apr. 26th and the BAFTA Craft Awards on May 10th (BAFTA portal). Some minor rule changes have been made, including BAFTA TV’s International category, now open for all 6,000 members to vote on nominations and winners.
ON THIS DAY
1932. 1st Venice Film Festival opens.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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