Coppola Sues Variety for 15M+
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
In The Industry News, we look at Coppola’s hefty lawsuit and the It Ends with Us producer’s new project. And trailers and breakdowns of Salem’s Lot, Dexter: Original Sin, Venom 3, Soderbergh’s Presence, and Beauty is Black.
Actor Spotlight from Gone Girl to Unicorn. Plus, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays against type.
In Festival News, Ben Stiller’s big bucks and Sundance gets closer to moving shop.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight, an absurdist DAAAAAALÍ! biopic–this isn’t your grandpa’s Un Chien Andalou. Also we look at a Sundance Winner and Monster.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Francis Ford Coppola sues Variety for $15 M+ damages for libel.
Coppola’s attorneys stated:
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“Some people are creative. Very few people are creative geniuses. In the world of motion pictures, Plaintiff Francis Ford Coppola (“Coppola”) is a creative genius. Some people are jealous and resentful of genius. Those people, therefore, denigrate and tell knowing and reckless falsehoods about those of whom they are jealous.”
Their statement moves on to talk about Variety quoting an unreliable anonymous source (becuase they broke their NDA) about Coppola’s alleged inappropriate behavior regarding kissing an extra on set during a club scene.
Variety stated:
“While we will not comment on active litigation, we stand by our reporters.”
Megalopolis has been met with a barrage of controversy, with reviews flooding in from the ultra-critical to the blissfully praiseful.
The film premiered at Cannes and is set to be released on Sept 27th by Lionsgate and Utopia (owned by Coppola’s nephew). Here’s the non-AI quote trailer.
Just as the buzz from Wayfarer Studios’ It Ends with Us begins to die down, netting $310 M at the box office, they’re back with another book-to-film adaptation, securing the rights to the bestselling romantic comedy The Love of My Afterlife.
Book Synopsis:
Delphi has unexpectedly died. As if that isn’t surprising enough, she comes face-to-face with her soulmate in the waiting room of her Afterlife Therapist. But before she can fully introduce herself to the dreamy man, he’s sent back to Earth with no recollection of their meeting.
Wayfarer’s President of Production & Development, Andrew Calof said:
“Kristy Greenwood’s (author) The Love of my Afterlife evokes equal measures of both humor and despair while taking readers on a daring journey of self-discovery. We are very excited to adapt this beautiful story about romance, grief, and second chances.”
Creator of the HBO series Run (2020), Vicky Jones, is adapting the screenplay to The Love of My Afterlife.
The only good thing to come out of the Sony Spidermanless Spider-Man universe was the schlocky, violent, and surprisingly funny take on his most arch-nemesis Venom.
Turning it into a buddy comedy was a stroke of genius that gave its Star, Tom Hardy, as Eddie Brock, something to play with. It also paid off with Venom making $856 M, and its sequel, co-starring Woody Harrelson, making $506 M.
A lot of this intriguing take on a dark character came from the mind of its writer Kelly Marcel, who will also now be directing the third (and seemingly final) outing for this character (rumor has it that Marvel is working on their own Venom).
The final trailer has everything that worked for the other two and seems to have the odd couple on the road and on the run from other symbiote lifeforms: "Eddie, my home has found us." In theaters, in October 25.
Check out the trailer here.
Showtime’s Dexter: Original Sin seems delectably fun in the bloody dropped trailer. Michael C. Hall (OG Dexter) narrates, making the first look at the prequel feel more like a part of the Dexter universe.
The ten episode series, Dexter: Original Sin, can be seen only on Paramount+ on Dec. 15th.
The newest long-awaited feature adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 vampire infestation story, Salem’s Lot, heading straight to streaming, just dropped a trailer. It looks incredibly fun and creepy, and it's shot very beautifully with a vibrant depiction of the 80's. It’s reminiscent of the 1979 series (trailer) where it’s all a bit campy, but the practical effects are fantastic.
Salem’s Lot arrives just in time for spooky season, premiering on Oct 3rd on Max, three years since the film wrapped production.
Warner Bros. Discovery bundle yields growth. CEO David Zaslav touted adding 6M subs to HBO this quarter off the heels of their bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.
That would rocket the total up to 109.8 M and blow away last quarter’s gains for 3.6 M subs.
Zaslav stated:
“We need to get our studio business back to more compelling profitability, and part of that was we had to build the creative team back. When we got there, we had lost Chris Nolan, and we were down to four movies … And we haven’t lost anybody since then.”
Max is also making a massive international push with shows in Europe and Latin America. Hey! That’s Netflix’s strategy.
Also, good news: Spectrum TV Select customers (owner: Charter Communications) get Max for free.
Tidbit:
Director/Producer McG is first in line to direct a KISS biopic, Shout It Out Loud, from STX Entertainment. McG has a long list of past work in the musical world responsible for some hugely successful music videos like Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” and Sugar Ray’s “Fly.”
The most recent draft of the deeper look at the legendary yet controversial rock and roll band was written by Darren Lemke (Shazam!), with casting currently underway, aiming for a 2025 start date.
After a number of delays, including six script changes, Mel Gibson’s sequel epic The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection is officially eyeing a start to production in early 2025. With it being almost two decades since the Apocalypto director’s raw and gripping original, his upcoming film will be focusing on the twenty-four hours encompassing Jesus’ passion and the events that occurred three days between his crucifixion and resurrection.
Watch a first look of The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection here.
Even in animation, Zack Snyder can't help himself. I counted 10 seconds of slow-mo in the less than two-minute trailer for Twilight of the Gods, his new animated series for Netflix that seems to tell the stories of Norse mythology. How accurate will Zack's retelling be? I'm not sure because I was kind of distracted by the flat animation:
Twilight of the Gods is part of Snyder's ongoing partnership with Netflix, which produced the questionable Rebel Moon 1 & 2. Maybe limiting Snynder to the 2D plane will give him some creative hindrance, we will know soon enough September 19th.
Batman will be a trilogy: Matt Reeves' Batman series will finish with the release of Batman Part 3. The director mentioned the importance of the upcoming Penguin series, claiming that it will give a direct line between the first two movies. We don't know when Batman Part 2 arrives, but Penguin begins streaming on September 19th.
The Penguin trailer here.
Disney+ drops it like its hot. They’re slashing their Basic tier (ad-supported) to $2 per month.
It seems like a good old swordfight as DirecTV subscribers lost access to ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels due to a contract dispute, while DirecTV plans to raise prices for its services starting October 6, 2024.
DirectTV’s CMO stated:
“Over the long term, yes, customers are annoyed, and with that comes customer churn. We have seen customer defections … it’s not an immaterial amount of customers because any time you have something like this the annoyance factor is very high.”
To parry, DirectTV has offered subs $30 credits.
What’s up with the Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black vertical teaser? The 16x9 film is coming from Perry’s first look deal with Netflix. Maybe it has something to do with the brand activations, as Netflix went hard on upfronts and scored some big brands bent on integrating their products into the streamer’s shows.
Beauty in Black releases on Netflix on October 24th.
Just a week after the world premiere of Tim Burton’s sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, producer Tommy Harper is partnering with Wednesday producer Matt Charman to develop a series adaptation of the psychological thriller novel Sometimes I Lie.
We’re haunted with another teaser for Soderbergh’s Presence. A ghost story told for the POV of the…. Teaser. Neon releases in January after a Sundance premiere nearly a year earlier.
Harvey Weinstein almost died after heart surgery and is currently getting indicted for a sex crime.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
From Gone Girl to Unicorn. Rosamund Pike is set to star in Netflix’s new series Thumblite.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The schemes, rivalries, visions, and obsessions of Silicon Valley’s power brokers and their underlings as they vie for control of the most powerful industry the world has ever known. Pike’s character will be at the center of the anxiety-inducing whirlpool.
We’re not sure what kind of character Pike will play, but she has a perfected iciness (see her as: Die Another Day’s Miranda Frost, clip). She also tore up the screen in Fincher’s Gone Girl, playing the damsel in distress who has an inner darkness that is pathologically spellbinding (Neil Patrick Harris dies clip—WARNING GRAPHIC).
The series is being showrun and written by Scott Z. Burns (writer: Contagion, The Bourne Ultimatum), who has a knack for large interconnected stories.
Thumblite shares DNA with AMC’s recently ordered Silicon Valley series created by Jonathan Glatzer (producer/writer: Better Call Saul, Succession) about the fallout between a tech CEO and his performance psychologist, sparking a scandal over personal data exploitation.
Liam Hemsworth stars in the Morocco Blue City Netflix film Lonely Planet.
From Erin Brockovich (2000), director Susannah Grant writes and directs the unlikely romance story with Hemsworth opposite Oscar winner Laura Dern, premiering on the streamer on Oct. 11th.
Official Synopsis:
Katherine (Dern) travels to a prestigious writer’s retreat in Morocco hoping that the remote setting will help solve her writer’s block to finish the book. However, things take a turn when she unexpectedly meets Owen (Hemsworth), who is also at the retreat with his girlfriend. The two eventually grow a close connection as they spend more time together.
Unlike his older brother who took the Marvel route, Liam Hemsworth’s claim to fame was a member of the infamous Hunger Games franchise love triangle as well as the lead role in the Nicholas Spark’s coming of age romance, The Last Song (trailer, 2010), proving the actor’s ability to portray convincing and deep love connections on screen.
Watch the sweet Netflix trailer for Lonely Planet here.
Tidbit:
Rosario Dawson has joined the cast of Deepest, Darkest, an anthology film exploring horror, suspense, and science fiction. EP’d by Akela Cooper (M3GAN) and David Dastmalchian (Late Night With the Devil), the film is being crowdfunded to cover production and post-production.
The directing is being split into segments, each one helmed by a powerhouse here are a few:
LaToya Morgan - The Walking Dead
Deric Hughes, Benjamin Raab - Quantum Leap
Ubah Mohamed - The Handmaid’s Tale
This will be Dawson's return to horror after a more than 10 year hiatus (unless you call Haunted Mansion horror). It will be fascinating to see her play in this space and work with so many prolific directors all at once.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays against type in his cool as-a-cucumber straight Prime film, Killer Heat. The trailer presents the film as fairly cliched: rich family, private European locations, an accidental death that is “not an accident.” So when a detective is brought in to investigate, we feel it’s the type of role you imagine Daniel Craig playing (e.g., Girl With The Dragon Tatoo and Knives Out).
Here’s the trailer. Gordon-Levitt feels better suited as the goofy law enforcement agent in Greedy People (2024, trailer).
Killer Heat drops on Prime Sept 6th.
Chad McQueen, son of screen legend Steve McQueen and best known for his role as Dutch in the first two Karate Kid films, has died at 63. He had continued his father's legacy in film, producing and appearing in many documentaries, and was involved in the development of his father’s long-gestating treasure-hunt film Yucatan, currently in development at Netflix.
Comedian Tim Robinson is going to investigate conspiracy theories in HBO’s newest greenlit series, The Chair Company.
FESTIVALS
TIFF’s largest sale was announced today—an 8-figure deal for Nutcrackers (opening film) by Hulu.
Here’s the breakdown:
Nutcrackers
In Competition
Dir: David Gordon Green (The Exorcist: Believer)
Star: Ben Stiller
Rotten Tomatoes (RT): 50%
The Industry Cover Story on Stiller’s acting journey as this is his first lead role in 7 years
Synopsis:
In the most unlikely of places, four siblings find a loving shelter in an unexpected turn of circumstances. This endearing comedy-drama draws inspiration from actual events and deftly crafts a gripping story that unites everyone.
The film is billed as a comedy-drama.
Let’s go to Sundance! When I say that, you immediately envision snowy mountains, being crammed-up-the-wazoo Main St., and magical screenings at The Egyptian. But flash forward to 2027, and the festival is going to be taking place in one of these three cities:
Boulder, Colorado
Cincinnati, Ohio
Salt Lake City/Park City, Utah
Read my rant on these changes, which include comments from the Utah Film Commissioner, who makes a pretty good case for the festival to stay in its home state.
Final decisions will be made in Q1 2025.
At age 94, Clint Eastwood’s 42nd feature as director is headed for a November release after an Oct. 27th premiere at AFI (closing night film). The film stars Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult, and Kiefer Sutherland.
Warner Bros synopsis reads:
Family man Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) who, while serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma...one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict or free the wrong killer.
While Juror #2 is rumored to be Eastwood's final movie, he is as tough as a mule and may very well be directing into his 100s.
For now, enjoy the most iconic Eastwood scene of all time.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
No filmmaker today is working as swiftly and making quite as many absurdist films as Quentin Dupieux (Rubber, Cannes opening film The Second Act). His latest work is ‘DAAAAAALÍ!’
It’s a fake biopic about Salvador Dali starring in a film about himself. Here is a standout Dali quote from the trailer:
“I can’t hear you it’s raining dead dogs”
Yeah… check it out.
Music Box Films is releasing in theaters on October 4th.
If you want to see a film that Dali co-wrote, look no further than Un Chien Andalou (1929, full short film), which famously opens with a man slicing open a woman’s eye with a razor blade. Much of the imagery is doused with Dali’s absurdism: dead donkeys hauling clocks etc. The surreal imaginative images are unmatched even today.
Almost thirty years since Edward Burns’ low budget breakthrough comedy, The Brothers McMullen (1995, trailer) his next film is the raw mid-life drama, Millers in Marriage, a personal take on the journey of life through aging.
Synopsis:
Eve Miller, a former indie rock singer, struggles with her toxic marriage while growing attracted to a music journalist. Her sister Maggie, a bestselling author, faces marital discord as her career overshadows her husbands.
Similar to his The Brothers McMullen a film Burns directed, wrote, and starred in, also about chaotic siblings in a genre that the filmmaker believes isn’t as common:
“The coming-of-age stories we made our way through our twenties and thirties were these character-driven looks at relationships and careers. But now I’m in my mid-fifties, and I was thinking about that time as another coming-of-age moment.”
Millers in Marriage originally premiered at TIFF.
Caroline Lindy adapted her 2020 short film, Your Monster, into a Sundance feature.
Official Synopsis:
After her life falls apart, soft-spoken actress Laura Franco finds her voice again when she meets a terrifying, yet weirdly charming Monster living in her closet. A romantic-comedy-horror film about falling in love with your inner rage.
Judging from the trailer, the film is really about embracing the monstrous aspects of yourself.
Your Monster will premiere in theaters on Oct. 25th. But first, check out the trailer!
The indie director’s last short film, Aspirational Slut (trailer, 2022), the hyper-sexual romantic comedy, won the audience award at SXSW22.
Kerry Howley’s Winner co-starring Zach Galifianakis, which played at Sundance, dropped a trailer. Here’s the official synopsis for Winner, which is based on Howley’s NY Magazine’s cover story:
Follows Reality Winner (yes, that’s her name), a brilliant young misfit from Texas who finds her morals challenged while serving in the U.S. Air Force and working as an NSA contractor.
I’m really not digging how they blanketed the trailer with Let’s Go America type music, but there’s a level of snarkiness that Winner has that feels like she’s a prime anarchist and an unsung hero.
Reality was recently the subject of the HBO documentary Reality (2023) starring Sydney Sweeney trailer.
Rachel Morrison just ripped my heart out. There’s something so relatable about endless hard work not yielding any riches that feels universally relatable for a lot of artists. In Morrison’s new film, The Fire Inside, a female boxer’s maturation is examined as they move from high school to the Olympics, training her teeth out.
But here’s where it gets interesting, and if you don’t want any details about the film, maybe skip this part:
Once she wins the Olympic gold medal, the first woman to do so in boxing, she doesn’t receive enough money to scrape by.
We’ve seen similar stuff with Olympic winners in Foxcatcher (2014) living in shitholes, and The Fire Inside juices that situation through performance, which includes newcomer Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta).
Enough enough, here’s the trailer.
From Amazon MGM Studios, The Fire Inside premiered at TIFF and punches into theaters on Dec. 25th.
Tidbits:
Netflix bought a doc called Yintah. Check out the trailer.
Shudder buys The Rule of Jenny Pen. Starring John Lithgow.
ON THIS DAY
1990. Law and Order, created by Dick Wolf, first premieres on NBC.
That’s all for the week. See you Monday.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.