Good morning: In today’s edition of The Industry, we look at:
Tom Cruise’s Day, Glen Powell’s Star, and Stewie.
Let’s go!
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Two massive updates on two massive projects. Both produced by Jerry Bruckheimer:
Tom Cruise will star in Paramount’s Days of Thunder sequel, with Jonathan Levine set to direct.
That would mark the second Tony Scott-directed (Top Gun 1) 80s/90s film to get a Cruise sequel. Days of Thunder (1990) co-starred Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, and Randy Quaid. It’s a NASCAR racing movie and a Tarantino favorite that packs high adrenaline into every scene (trailer). Days of Thunder ($87M WW box office) never reached the iconic level of Top Gun ($357M WW box office), but the action was top-notch.
Levine is an ace in the hole for Paramount. He directed a few Seth Rogen comedies, 50/50 (2011) and Long Shot (2019). But now he’s helmed Mr. Irrelevant starring David Corenswet as the last player picked in the NFL draft. I saw the trailer at CinemaCon and thought it was the most powerful project in Paramount’s lineup.
Levine’s got a real tendency to tell underdog stories, so paired with Bruckheimer, we could imagine an analog to Pitt’s role in F1.
Second project:
Sony is in talks to acquire the new Treasure Island starring Hugh Jackman as Long John Silver, directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence).
That triple threat will likely birth a darker, more psychological tale than the previous dozen film incarnations of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel.
For more:
Get our full take on Treasure Island here.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
The WGA seeks a preliminary injunction to block the PSKY WBD merger.
The European Commission approves the PSKY WBD merger.
YouTube reports $11.1bn in Q2 ad revenue.
Apple TV acquires Rebecca Yarros’ upcoming romance novel Peculiar Stars.
Prime Video develops a series adaptation of graphic novel Stillwater.
Netflix expands the Parasyte universe with Parasyte: Tamiya.
Kenneth Branagh joins Paramount+’s Scottish family drama Laird.
Glen Powell reunites with Linklater to play Lou Gehrig in a Universal biopic.
Fox expands the voice cast of Family Guy spinoff Stewie.
TIFF announces 24 projects for its Discovery program.
Darren Aronofsky’s AI company Primordial Soup raises $11M.
Casey Affleck will write and direct gothic mystery Company, starring Nick Nolte.
Yesterday’s correct answer: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Louise Fletcher’s Oscar role. 88% got it correct.
The WGA seeks a preliminary injunction, escalating its lawsuit to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. This is a separate lawsuit from the one filed last week by the 12 states and focuses more on the labor impact, like PSKY’s proposed $6bn in “cost savings,” which could mean mass reduction in staff.
Paramount responded:
“We are confident the evidence will demonstrate that this merger is pro-competitive and will expand opportunities for writers and creative talent alike.”
While state AGs and guilds are intent on slowing down the PSKY WBD merger, the story is different across the pond.
The European Commission has approved the merger. They similarly fast-tracked the Paramount Global–Skydance merger, well before the FCC tied the knot. That’s because there are more TV and theatrical competitors in the European market. One caveat: Paramount’s distribution partnership with Universal Pictures in Europe will need to be canceled in the next year.
YouTube Q2 2026 results:
$11.1bn ad revenue (vs. Netflix’s $12.56bn)
↑ 13% from last year
350M paid subs (including Google)
13.4% Total TV Usage (Nielsen)
Up from 12.7% last quarter
72% larger share than Netflix
272% larger share than a combined WBD + Paramount
We’re at an interesting inflection point with YouTube and, by proxy, Google. Right now, they haven’t quite mainlined their Gemini AI tools into YouTube, but they’re getting close. We’d love to see a breakdown from these platforms of how much human-generated vs. non-human-generated content is being watched.
Three big adaptations/expansions:
Apple TV’s Peculiar Stars
Prime’s Stillwater
Netflix’s Parasyte TV
Details on all three here.
Mini Tidbits:
Paramount+ orders Scottish drama Laird, created by Jez Butterworth (Showrunner: MobLand) and starring Kenneth Branagh. The series will be an epic family saga that follows the Laird of Castle Drummoch (Branagh) as he tries to protect his ancestral lands from a shady American billionaire. This will be the third Paramount+ series coming from Jez Butterworth, after MobLand and The Agency.
Disney keeps its Mary Poppins IP alive with a doc on Julie Andrews. Giving the film the Midas touch is director R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry). Releasing in 2027. For those wondering, Andrews is alive and well with her latest role in Netflix’s Bridgerton.
Prime Video is developing a feature doc about English singer-songwriter and actress Lily Allen. The doc will paint an intimate portrait of the life and career of Lily Allen, following her growth as a global icon with hits like “Smile” and “LDN”.
Just days after The Deb finally set a release date, director Rebel Wilson has won the defamation case brought by her co-star Charlotte MacInnes, with the Australian Federal Court dismissing the lawsuit. The Deb will get a VOD release Aug. 25.
Trailers:
A24’s Misty Green
Dir: Chris Rock
Cast: Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Chris Rock
Release: Oct
Neon’s It Ends
Release: Aug 21
Warner Bros.’ Clayface
Cast: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie
Release: Oct 23
First Look:
Fable’s AI-generated film Gods Don’t Give Gifts
Dir: Gossip Goblin
Release: Oct 30
Release Dates:
Amazon MGM’s Ali G: Who Iz I?
Dir/Star: Sacha Baron Cohen
Release: Oct 23
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Unmasking A Monster: Aileen Wuornos
Release: Sept 30
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Benicio Del Toro is put in Protective Custody. That’s the name of a new show he’s starring in for Apple TV. His co-star will be Ben Stiller, and Mike Judge (Silicon Valley, Office Space) will direct.
The show follows a fallen financier facing major fraud allegations who lands in protective custody.
Del Toro in a work by Judge just screams high-strung and zany. Something Del Toro has been excelling in well before he gave a wonderfully maximalist performance in One Battle After Another (clip). See him as Johnny Depp’s drugged-up buddy in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (clip), enough said.
Glen Powell is trading hitmen for pinstripes, set to take on Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig in Richard Linklater’s upcoming biopic.
The new Universal project reunites Powell with the Hit Man (2023) and Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) filmmaker, looking at Gehrig’s extraordinary life from his historic 17-year baseball career to his battle with ALS and ultimately his death in 1941 at age 37.
For such a remarkable life, his story has only been told on film once in The Pride of the Yankees (1942), earning Gary Cooper an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Gehrig, nicknamed “The Iron Horse.”
Universal’s new take will be written by SNL’s youngest-ever staff writer Simon Rich and produced by Lorne Michaels, bringing one of baseball’s most celebrated figures back to the big screen.
Fox’s new Family Guy spinoff, Stewie, expands the voice cast. Aside from Seth MacFarlane in the titular role, they’re bringing in:
Kenan Thompson (playing Stewie’s new friend with a bad attitude)
Vanessa Bayer (playing Stewie’s teacher who loves to party)
Mike Henry (playing a gossipy classmate)
The series, which has been ordered for two seasons, follows Stewie, who is forced to attend a boring school, only to discover a device that can take him anywhere in time and space. Thus making his lessons more interesting. Sounds like it will be a naughty Magic School Bus.
Tidbits:
“I’ve got to do Fred proud.” In a busy July for Tom Holland, the actor shared that production has begun on the upcoming Fred Astaire biopic. Holland shared that he has been spending his time in the dance studio preparing to perform all of Astaire’s dance numbers himself. While he certainly has some massive tap shoes to fill, the film marks a full-circle moment for Holland, who began his career in the titular role in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical (clip).
Casting Tidbits:
Vanessa Marano
Louis Cancelmi
Johnny Knoxville
All those casting tidbits here.
FESTIVALS AND DOCS
The upcoming Toronto Film Festival has announced its Discovery program lineup consisting of 24 new projects from rising filmmakers.
Here are a few that stood out to us:
https://theindustry.co/p/tiff-discovery-2026
Venice Days, the independent sidebar of the Venice International Film Festival, has unveiled the titles for its 23rd edition, the first since the passing of section founder Giorgio Gosetti.
Venice Days Opening Film:
My Notes on Mars
Dir: Lili Horvát (Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time)
Cast: Rupert Friend (The Phoenician Scheme)
Synopsis:
A brilliant scientist, Margot, mysteriously disappears while hiking with her husband Sam and friends. She reappears weeks later, changed, and Sam sees it as a chance to rekindle their marriage and rediscover each other.
Venice Days and its Italian-centered companion section, Venice Nights, include 25 world premieres with more than half directed by women.
Venice will run from Sept. 2-12.
TECH SECTION
Darren Aronofsky’s AI company Primordial Soup has raised $11M on its path toward a planned total of $15M.
I ranted last year about this company when they partnered with Google. Here’s the full breakdown.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) is writing and directing a gothic mystery titled Company. Set on a cold winter night in 1975, the film follows a mysterious woman named Evelyn who arrived unexpectedly at a holiday gathering and tells an old tale of wary travelers and grisly murders.
The cast for this film is full of talent, with Nick Nolte (Cape Fear), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), Adelaide Clemens (R.J. Decker), and Scoot McNairy (Speak No Evil). This will be Casey Affleck’s third feature film as director.
While Casey Affleck’s previous two films couldn’t be more different on paper, his ability for intimate atmospheric storytelling shines in both of them. Whether it’s following the unhinged career change of Joaquin Phoenix in I’m Still Here (2010) or painting an apocalyptic world where most of the female population has been wiped out by a deadly disease in Light of My Life (2019), Affleck’s films focus on creating a certain mood through their characters rather than following genre tropes.
As an actor-turned-director, he is also able to bring out naturalistic performances from his cast (that usually includes himself), often blurring the line between film and reality. I’m Still Here is a perfect example of how Affleck was able to create an environment where Joaquin Phoenix could fully be in character. With actors like Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn, Affleck’s gothic mystery film will surely be a deep character study.
Vertical picks up The Saviors starring Adam Scott and Danielle Deadwyler, which premiered this year at SXSW.
Synopsis:
An estranged couple rents out their Airbnb, but soon start to suspect their guests might be plotting something nefarious. As the couple investigates, they rekindle their relationship and discover something stranger than they could have imagined.
Releasing March 26, 2027.
Mini Tidbits:
British Academy rule changes
Japanese action star
France’s National Centre for Cinema
All these tidbits and more here.
ON THIS DAY
1961. Woody Harrelson was born in Midland, Texas.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Madelyn Menapace and Tony Jaeyeong Jeong.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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