Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Amazon’s Fern, Hulu’s Spark, and Up.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Amazon MGM & Marielle Heller develop a live-action FernGully film.
A judge has temporarily blocked the Nexstar-Tegna merger.
The Obamas’ Higher Ground is going independent after the Netflix deal ends.
Hulu is developing fantasy romance series Spark of the Everflame.
Netflix is adapting Jodi Picoult’s The Book of Two Ways.
Alec Baldwin will face a civil trial over Rust shooting.
John Powell will score Illumination’s Minions & Monsters.
Kathryn Newton returns as Cassie Lang in Avengers: Doomsday.
David Harbour joins John Rambo as Major Trautman.
Li Jun Li joins HBO’s The Last of Us S3.
Leïla Bekhti will preside over Cannes’ Un Certain Regard jury.
Reginald Hudlin is developing a live-action The Phantom TV series.
HBO Max Australia has acquired Mark Gatiss’ crime series Bookish.
Asif Kapadia will direct 70 Up, the final chapter of the landmark Up docuseries.
Yesterday’s top answer: The Odyssey, top CinemaCon film.
43% voted for it.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Amazon MGM Studios and director Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) are working on a live-action version of the cult ‘90s animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992, trailer).
A fantastical world remembered for its eco-friendly messaging, the story followed a band of fairies who accidentally shrank a logger to their miniature size. The original had a stellar voice cast headlined by Robin Williams, Tim Curry, and Christian Slater.
There’s something very wholesome about Heller’s filmmaking that seems to align with FernGully. But beyond that, she embraces idiosyncratic characters in a way that makes the zany often feel sublime. Her FernGully at its best could have us all in rapture.
No word yet on casting or the plot of the new film.
Tidbit:
Stop! U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley has ordered a temporary injunction on the Nexstar-Tegna merger while antitrust issues are reviewed. And for good reason, Nexstar’s value is $6.3bn with 200 local stations, and Tegna’s value is $3.2bn, with 64 local stations. If approved by the FCC, the combined companies would own 80% of local stations across the US.
Obama’s going independent. Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, will become an indie production company when its first-look deal with Netflix ends this year. This will allow them to work with more studios. Higher Ground’s top films include the Oscar-nominated doc American Factory (2019) and the features Rustin (2023) and Leave the World Behind (2023).
Wicked’s music for Minions. John Powell (composer: How to Train Your Dragon, Wicked) will score Illumination’s Minions & Monsters, the third spin-off of the Minions animated franchise. Powell’s music is known for epic orchestral compositions and energy-packed harmonies. His work Test Drive is one of the most iconic songs from the animated feature How to Train Your Dragon. The new film is about Minions acting in Hollywood, so we’ll get a real Hollywood score!
Two Adaptations:
Hulu is developing Spark of the Everflame, a bestselling romance novel and the first in The Kindred’s Curse Saga series. Hulu’s Death and Other Details co-creator Hedi Cole McAdams will write and EP the slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers story centered on a human healer living in a magical world in desperate need of a rebellion. While the series is in development, the final book in the series, Burn of the Everflame, will drop this fall.
Outlander showrunner Matthew B. Roberts is penning Netflix’s series adaptation of The Book of Two Ways from My Sister’s Keeper author Jodi Picoult. Her books often ask morally complex questions of her characters, with her 2020 novel revolving around a woman who, after surviving a plane crash, sees two divergent paths for her future. The newest Picoult adaptation will be produced by Sony Pictures Television, where Roberts has an overall deal.
Mini Tidbits:
Alec Baldwin may be heading back to court. A judge ordered a civil trial against Baldwin to move forward over the Rust tragedy. Although it would not result in prison time, the October case would likely see Baldwin testify. The case is brought by gaffer Serge Svetnoy, who was the closest to Halyna Hutchins when she was tragically killed.
Veteran talent agent Sylvia Gold, who repped stars like Susan Lucci and Tony Danza, has died. Her career began in the mid-60s, where she worked with some of television’s biggest stars. Spending over four decades at ICM, she became one of the agency’s most respected and enduring figures.
Trailers:
Abrorama’s Louder Than Guns
Dir: Doug Pray (HBO Max’s Love, Lizzo)
Release: May 8
Freestyle Digital Media’s Jaunt
Digital release: April 21
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Ant-Girl returns. Kathryn Newton (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) returns in Avengers: Doomsday as Cassie Lang, the daughter of Scott Lang a.k.a. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd).
Last appearing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) in the MCU, Newton will be back with the World’s Mightiest Heroes to face Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.).
This opens a lot of doors to what might be happening in Marvel’s biggest film.
One might expect to see her team up with the new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) to form the Young Avengers, teased by the “leaked” concept artwork. One might even guess the storyline from Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #8, where Doctor Doom brutally murders Cassie Lang, causing Ant-Man to become thirsty for revenge.
It will be exciting to see what the Russo Brothers have in store for this young superhero.
David Harbour joins the Rambo prequel, John Rambo, playing Major Trautman, Rambo’s commanding officer in First Blood (1982).
The film will feature Rambo (Noah Centineo) in his earlier days, before the events of the first movie, as he fights his way through the jungles of Vietnam. We will get to see the events that caused Rambo’s PTSD and what fueled his rage against the brutal deputies in the original film.
Harbour is familiar with playing a father figure who understands a troubled youngster with a traumatic past. His performance in Netflix’s Stranger Things as Hopper showed a wise yet firm guiding figure (clip) for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and we are excited to see how he can make Trautman’s relationship come to life with John Rambo.
I’ve heard from a good source that the footage is looking outstanding.
Li Jun Li (Sinners) joins HBO’s The Last of Us S3.
Li will play Miriam, who is part of the “Seraphites” – fanatic cult followers in the apocalyptic world of the series. Her character is the mother of Yara (Michelle Mao) and Lev (Kyriana Kratter), who will play major roles in Abby Anderson’s (played by Kaitlyn Dever) story, which will be the primary focus of the final season of The Last of Us.
We saw what Li was capable of in the showdown between the survivors and the vampires in Sinners, a performance characterized by extreme intensity and rawness. We would love to see her play a fanatic cult member.
Tidbits:
Tywin Lannister in Gotham. Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) is in talks to join Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II. Speculations say Dance will play Charles Dent, the father of Harvey Dent (Sebastian Stan) a.k.a. Two-Face. We all remember how much of a terrifying father Dance was as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones. His power and dominance over his family (clip) were the driving forces behind the House Lannister through the earlier seasons of the show.
Ethan Embry (Scream 7) joins Prime Video’s thriller series Cross S3. Based on the characters created by James Patterson, the series follows Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge), a homicide detective in Washington, D.C. Embry will play Frederick, a sobriety coach known for tough-love leadership.
Obits:
French actress and four-time César award winner Nathalie Baye (Downton Abbey: A New Era) has passed away. She is perhaps most recognizable as the elegant yet disillusioned mother to Leonardo DiCaprio’s Frank Abagnale Jr. in the Steven Spielberg classic Catch Me If You Can (2002), one of the few American films that brought her widespread international attention.
Another French actress, Nadia Farès (The Crimson Rivers), has shockingly died at just 57 years old. The 2000s French police thriller marked a major breakthrough for Farès, who played dual roles alongside Vincent Cassel and Jean Reno.
FESTIVALS AND DOCS
French actress and Cannes regular Leïla Bekhti (A Prophet) has been named the President of this year’s Cannes jury for the auteur-driven section, Un Certain Regard.
Un Certain Regard Jury 2026:
President: Leïla Bekhti
Angèle Diabang (dir: Une si longue lettre, 2025)
Khaled Mouzanar (composer Capernaum, 2018)
Laura Samani (dir: Small Body, 2021)
Thomas Cailley (dir: The Animal Kingdom, 2023)
Cannes Un Certain Regard opens with Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma from Mubi.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The Phantom is coming. Reginald Hudlin (Producer: Candy Cane Lane starring Eddie Murphy) is making a live-action TV series of The Phantom.
Based on the comic strip created by Lee Falk that started over 90 years ago, The Phantom is credited as the first costumed hero that predated Batman or Superman. It is worth noting that The Phantom is a human hero with no superpowers who relies purely on physical strength and intellect to defeat his foes.
Hudlin will direct and produce the TV series with King Features (the premier worldwide distributor of comics like Popeye and Beetle Bailey).
HBO Max Australia acquires crime series Bookish starring and written by Sherlock scribe Mark Gatiss ahead of its second season.
Set in 1940s London, a book sleuth (Gatiss) assists the police on their toughest cases while keeping his sexuality a secret.
The cozy mystery continues to build global momentum with sales now surpassing 100 territories. Beyond HBO Max, Beta Film (Amrum) has just sold the drama to Sky New Zealand and BBC Brit for Africa.
Mini Tidbit:
Christophe Pinard-Legry becomes the CEO of Canal+ Europe. He has also joined Canal+’s board alongside David Mignot, the CEO of Canal+ Africa. Pinard-Legry has been working at the company for over 9 years now, starting as a Commercial Director at Canal+ France. His new role will have him coordinate all of Canal+’s activities around Europe for its 18M subscribers.
Asif Kapadia (Dir: A24’s Amy) will finish the final chapter of the groundbreaking British docuseries Up. First starting with 7 Up in 1964, the films captured the lives of 10 boys and girls in England, all aged 7 at the time. Now, the final installment of the docuseries will be named 70 Up, with participants looking back on their lives and reflecting on their triumphs and tribulations.
He’s back. Don Mancini (writer of Child’s Play) announced that a new Chucky movie is in the works. The feature will be a continuation of Cult of Chucky (2017) and Chucky (Syfy series).
ON THIS DAY
1949. Jessica Lange born in Cloquet, Minnesota.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Madelyn Menapace, and Tony Jaeyeong Jeong.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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