Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
HBO’s Cannes, Searchlight’s Monitor, and Liman’s AI.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
HBO’s The White Lotus begins filming S4 with Cannes-set storylines.
Searchlight has picked up SXSW horror film Monitor for U.S. distribution.
Kennedy Ryan has signed a first-look deal with Universal Studio Group.
Lionsgate has extended CEO Jon Feltheimer’s contract through 2031.
Roku is launching original doc series Gamechangers.
Amazon MGM’s culinary thriller Tyrant has cast Demi Moore.
Matt LeBlanc will lead CBS crime drama Flint.
Love and War, starring Samantha Morton, heads to Cannes Market.
Quo Vadis, Aida? is getting a sequel, with Indie Sales handling international sales.
Doug Liman’s Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi, starring Casey Affleck and Gal Gadot, is using AI.
Steven Schneider comes on to EP SXSW sci-fi thriller Imposters.
The BBC is cutting up to 2,000 jobs.
HBO Max is launching in India through JioHotstar.
Yesterday’s correct answer: Psycho, starred Osgood Perkins dad, Anthony Perkins.
70% got it right.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
It’s time to check in! HBO has confirmed production has begun on season four of The White Lotus, filming on the French Riviera. The timing isn’t coincidental, with the new season focused on love and fame set during the Cannes Film Festival, which will be unfolding in real time in just a few weeks.
Show creator Mike White brings his usual packed ensemble, led by Helena Bonham Carter and Vincent Cassel (Black Swan), with season four set to premiere early 2027.
We’ll be at Cannes, and maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of the show shooting. At least this is one way to get Warner Bros. Discovery to Cannes.
Searchlight Pictures picks up SXSW horror film Monitor. The studio has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the feature debut from filmmakers Matt Black and Ryan Polly. The movie follows a young woman and her colleagues who work as content moderators. When they remove a mysterious video from the darkest parts of the internet, they become haunted by an evil force that uses the screen to kill them. The film has been described as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) meets Ringu (1998).
Lionsgate has extended longtime CEO Jon Feltheimer’s contract through 2031. The two-year add-on comes as little surprise following the studio’s recent separation from Starz and a strong year across film and TV with The Housemaid and the award-winning The Studio. The news arrives just a week ahead of Lionsgate’s highly anticipated Michael premiere.
Mini Tidbits:
NYT bestseller Kennedy Ryan inks a first-look deal with Universal Studio Group. The first project under the agreement is a series adaptation of her novel Before I Let Go, a second-chance romance story set in Atlanta that is currently in development at Peacock.
Just when us A-List members thought we had it all. AMC Theaters has announced a $2 increase to its Stubs A-List subscription for a total of $29.99 a month.
United Agents (UK rep for Jessie Buckley, Kate Winslet) launches its Unscripted Division. The new department will focus on representing reality TV stars, digital-first creators, and media influencers.
Roku launches original documentary film series Gamechangers. The docu-anthology will start with FIFA Women’s World Cup champion goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and will be followed by two more feature documentaries.
Renewals:
MGM+’s From (for S5)
CBS’s Harlan Coben’s Final Twist (for S2)
CBS’s Beyond the Gates (for S3 and S4)
Cancellation:
Peacock’s Copenhagen Test (canceled after S1)
Trailers:
Prime Video’s Good Omens
Dir: Rachel Talalay (Doctor Who)
Cast: Michael Sheen, David Tennant
Release: May 13, 2026
Apple TV’s Unconditional
Release: May 8, 2026
AMC and Shudder’s The Terror: Devil in Silver
(S3 of AMC’s The Terror Anthology)
EP: Dan Stevens, Ridley Scott
Cast: Dan Stevens, Judith Light
Release: May 7, 2026
DreamWorks’ Forgotten Island
Dir: Joel Crawford (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish)
Cast: H.E.R., Dave Franco, Jenny Slate
Release: Sep 25, 2026
As Deep as the Grave
Cast: Val Kilmer (A.I.-generated likeness), Tom Felton
Release: TBD
First look:
2026 French Zorro (series)
BBC’s Ludwig S2 (series)
Cast: David Mitchell, Anna Maxwell Martin, Dylan Hughes
Release: TBD
20th Century Studios’ The Dog Stars
Dir: Ridley Scott
Cast: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong
Release: June 30, 2026
Release date:
Peacock’s MIA (pilot)
Release: May 7, 2026
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Amazon MGM Studios' high-stakes culinary thriller Tyrant casts Demi Moore (Landman), joining Charlize Theron and Julia Garner. Beyond taking place in New York City’s elite fine dining scene, plot details are being kept under wraps.
Following her Oscar-nominated turn in The Substance (2024), the new project only further distances the actress from the type of blockbuster roles (i.e., Ghost, Indecent Proposal, Striptease) that defined her breakout in the 90s, with her recent resurgence clearly marked by challenging, prestige-driven projects.
Filming will begin in LA next month.
Mini Tidbits:
Friends’ Matt LeBlanc is headlining Flint, a new CBS crime drama. The show will see LeBlanc as a burnt-out LAPD officer who is determined to get fired after the city unexpectedly extends his service. From CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Flint will most likely premiere in 2027.
Another CBS pickup sees LL Cool J making a franchise return for NCIS: New York, the eighth spinoff in the NCIS-verse. The rapper and actor will reprise his longtime NCIS: Los Angeles (2009-23) role as special agent Sam Hanna with the show set to premiere this fall.
Another star from the original series is joining Fox’s Baywatch reboot. Erika Eleniak will guest star, reprising her role as Shauni McClain, who begins as a nervous rookie before quickly becoming one of the beach’s most skilled lifeguards.
Cool Hand Luke (1967) actress Joy Harmon has passed away at 87. She made a number of TV appearances in shows like The Beverly Hillbillies and Gidget, but her defining role was a wordless, three-minute scene in the classic Paul Newman prison drama. It’s a scene that wouldn’t be nearly as well-received today, but nonetheless put the actress’ name on the map.
FESTIVALS AND DOCS
Cannes Market:
Love and War
Int. Sales Rep: Alliance Media Partners (Dead Eyes)
Dir: Lisa Mulcahy (Lies We Tell)
Cast: Samantha Morton (Minority Report, Morvern Callar)
Synopsis:
A mother is forced to enter war-torn Syria to recover her daughter after the child is taken across borders by her estranged husband.
Neon’s Oscar and BAFTA-nominated film Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020, trailer) is getting a sequel. Quo Vadis, Aida? – The Missing Part will pick up immediately from the ending of the previous film, as we follow Aida searching for her sons, who were taken by Serbian forces during the fall of Srebrenica in 1995. Paris-based sales company Indie Sales has been appointed to oversee international sales at the Cannes Market.
Mini Tidbit:
Cannes’ Marché du Film is partnering with Tokyo’s Content Market (TIFFCOM) for a three-day event that will give global buyers and producers a chance to tap into the surge of strong Japanese IP.
Cannes Docs will showcase four in-progress titles from Circle Doc Accelerator, connecting emerging documentarians with major industry players for financing and distribution opportunities.
TECH SECTION
Doug Liman’s new feature, Bitcoin: Killing Satoshi, is being billed as the first fully-generated, studio-quality AI feature film.
What does that mean? There’s no on-location filming; all the backdrops and sets are made with 3D models by the production designer, then fed into the AI program to create the final rendering, and lit with an AI program.
They’re touting that the budget has dropped from $300M to around $70M. And they’re not touching the performances, which are headlined by Casey Affleck and Gal Gadot.
We admire Liman’s ability to get the movie made, no matter the cost. He piloted a plane into the mountains to get the Bourne Identity rights from author Robert Ludlum. And during the pandemic, he shot a film called Locked Down to keep telling stories.
And even though this is admirable, I don’t really buy that the finished film without AI would cost $300M. Even though it’s set in 200 locations (including Antarctica), you could use a volumetric.
They’re only shooting for 20 days, and the budget is $70M, which means either the cast fees are enormous or the cost of this AI production is tremendous.
We’ll reserve any further judgment until it gets picked up by a distributor. Currently being shopped at Cannes.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Steven Schneider (Producer of Paranormal Activity) will EP SXSW hit sci-fi thriller, Imposters. Schneider’s company, Spooky Pictures (Production co: Late Night With the Devil), joined the project as well.
The film centers on a couple who find their missing child after a long search, only to realize that what came back might not be their child. Imposters debuted at SXSW in 2026 from filmmaker Caleb Phillips. Imposters teaser.
Tidbits:
Danny Trejo’s boxing film Counterpunch (2013) will get a sequel. The original film (trailer) follows a boxer as he faces mental health challenges while striving for a second shot at becoming a professional fighter. Danny Trejo will return as a mental health counselor, guiding the young boxer in his journey. Alexis Knapp (Pitch Perfect franchise) is also attached to star in the sequel.
Re: Uniting (2023) writer-director Laura Adkin is reuniting with producer Krista Rand for Out of Luck, the first full feature screenplay from bestselling thriller author Catherine McKenzie. The revenge story centers on a group of determined women who pull off a suspenseful heist of an ex’s Irish bars.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Berlinale award-winner Four Minus Three (Vier Minus Drei) from director Adrian Goiginger (The Best of All Worlds) has secured new international deals across multiple territories. Beta Cinema (Amrum) has sold to Pyramide (Sirāt) for France, A-Z Films (Invisibles) for Canada, and Palace Films (One Fine Morning) for Australia and New Zealand.
The drama, adapted from Barbara Pachl-Eberhart’s autobiographical novel, stars Valerie Pachner (A Hidden Life) as a clown navigating loss after a tragic accident. Following its strong festival reception and early box office success in Austria, the new deals further the momentum of its impressive rollout.
Mini Tidbits:
In an effort to cut costs, the BBC is laying off up to 2,000 employees across all departments as it looks to make up more than $500 million over the next two years. The cuts come amid mounting financial pressures, including production inflation, rising licensing fees, and a declining commercial income.
HBO Max launches in India. JioHotstar, a Disney-backed streaming service, will be its exclusive distribution partner. This is the first time all of HBO Max's content will be provided through a single streaming service in India. As of early 2026, HBO Max has expanded its reach to over 100 countries with 131.6M global subs.
Netflix is in development on a new Korean series, The Facade of Love, from the director behind the highest-rated Korean drama in history, Mo Wan-il (The World of the Married). The new show centers on two strangers who make a connection while abroad that disrupts their real lives once they return home.
ON THIS DAY
1889. Charlie Chaplin born in London, England.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Madelyn Menapace, and Tony Jaeyeong Jeong.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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