Glen Powell, Holes 2 & From Ground Zero
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at
Glen Powell’s deal. Holes 2 minus Shia and an Oscar contender.
Let’s go!
To our readers in LA being affected by the fires, our heart goes out to you. Please stay safe.
You can’t stifle human creativity.
The Palestinian Oscar entry, From Ground Zero, which premiered at TIFF, which Michael Moore boarded as an EP, is a resounding proclamation that even amidst war, self-expression through the filmic form is able to shine through.
The film weaves together a tapestry of 22 different self-produced vignettes from filmmakers around the country.
Some are quite simple, like the opening YouTube blog-selfie vignette, which takes on a deeper meaning when we get a room-by-room tour of the filmmaker's bombed-out home.
Others are cinematic, like the vignette in which a particularly astute filmmaker achieves a cripplingly visceral long take where we see a man try to save his brother from the rubble of a collapsed building. The camera carefully tracks back and forth, emphasizing the Sisyphean nature of the struggle.
Another is a hybrid, partially animated, partially live-action vignette that involves a mother who gives her children nightmares after she writes their names on their arms to identify them in case they die in an attack. The use of bright construction paper cut-out figures with stop-motion is a haunting juxtaposition to the subject matter.
All these mini shorts are a powerful testament to the filmmaker’s desire to live and express themselves even in times of deep darkness.
For More:
Now Playing in Theaters Nationwide. Get Tickets.
Watch the heartwarming trailer. Warning: there is definitely some intense imagery throughout.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Holes is getting a Disney+ TV series.
Universal Pictures has signed a first-look film production deal with Glen Powell and his Barnstorm production company.
Paramount and Comcast renewed their multi-year deal for Comcast’s Xfinity to carry Paramount’s networks.
Roku has now surpassed 90 M streaming households.
Regal Cineworld Group has named Kelly Dowdy as Chief Digital and Technology Officer and Adam Snow as Chief Strategy Officer.
Amy Adams’ Bond Group Entertainment is adapting author Eliza Kennedy’s 2025 novel Lucky Night for a future stage production.
After three years, UTA partner and CCO Richard Siklos is officially leaving the agency.
Amy Schumer stars in a new Netflix comedy, Kinda Pregnant.
Jacob Elordi is currently in talks to lead Ridley Scott’s upcoming film The Dog Stars (20th Century), replacing Paul Mescal.
Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer is set to lead new Welsh/French thriller series, Minotaur.
Sundance just added two new films to their premieres, including The Alabama Solution by Dir: Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx).
Screenplays for Babygirl and Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl here.
Mubi has hired Arianna Bocco, former president of IFC to lead Global Distribution.
Voltage Pictures (producer: The Hurt Locker, sales rep: Reagan, Knock Knock) has taken a majority stake in The Exchange (International Sales Agent: 2 Guns, The Thicket).
Studiocanal buys La venue de l'avenir (Colours of Time).
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Holes is getting a Disney+ TV series. You may remember the 2003 Disney film for its stacked cast:
Shia LaBeouf
Sigourney Weaver
Jon Voight
Patricia Arquette
Tim Blake Nelson
Henry Winkler
Dulé Hill (West Wing)
Holes also had the holy Disney trifecta of magical realism, heart, and well-natured fun.
The new Holes pilot also has a stacked team involved:
Writer/EP: Alina Mankin (writer: The Mindy Project)
Showrunner/EP: Liz Phang
Supervising Producer/Writer: The Strain
Consulting Producer/writer: Foundation
Co-EP/Writer: Yellowjackets
EP: Drew Goddard (Wri: The Martian, Dir: The Cabin in the Woods)
Prod Company: Walden Media (OG Holes producer, Blitz, The Chronicles of Narnia)
EP: Mike Medavoy (Prod: Black Swan, Zodiac)
Studio: 20th Televison
Here’s the official synopsis:
In this reimagining of the beloved 1998 book from Louis Sachar, a teenage girl is sent to a detention camp where the ruthless Warden forces the campers to dig holes for a mysterious purpose.
No cast is involved just yet, but the original was a smash hit, making $71.4 M from a $20 M budget.
No word on cast or shoot dates.
Here’s the original trailer, fresh from 2003. Watch out for lizards!
Universal Pictures has signed a first-look film production deal with Glen Powell and his Barnstorm production company. Powell has been on a massive career upswing since his breakthrough in Top Gun Maverick, which led Tom Cruise to take him under his wing, leading to massive wins with Hit Man and Twisters. It's not surprising Universal wants this partnership. Dan Cohen, a veteran producer from 21 Laps (Dan Levy's company), will join Barnstorm as Powell’s partner, bringing his expertise from hits like Stranger Things and The Adam Project. The deal follows the massive success of Twisters (trailer), which broke records for a natural disaster film at the domestic box office and became Peacock’s top Pay 1 film in its first two weeks. We don’t yet have any idea of what projects are in the pipeline but look forward to seeing what Powell comes up with, this guy is absolutely a star.
Paramount and Comcast remain bedfellows. The companies renewed their multi-year deal for Comcast’s Xfinity to carry Paramount’s networks:
CBS
BET
Comedy Central
MTV
Nickelodeon
Paramount Network
And now Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Roku is popping champagne. They have now surpassed 90 M streaming households, up from 85.5 M on Oct 31st.
Roku shared:
“Roku’s extensive scale sets us apart in the streaming industry, with more engagement than any other TV OS platform in the U.S.”
They’ve been growing Quarter over Quarter:
Net revenue
Q3: ↑16%
Q2: ↑14%
Profit
Q3: ↑30%
Q2: ↑68%
Roku is projected to continue this growth into 2025.
Tidbits:
After three years, UTA partner and CCO Richard Siklos is officially leaving the agency. Prior to joining UTA, Siklos spent years as the head of US communications and corporate communications for Netflix after a significant amount of time with Time Warner Inc. UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, who announced Siklos’ departure, said he would remain with the company until they were able to find a suitable replacement.
Amy Adams’ Bond Group Entertainment is adapting author Eliza Kennedy’s 2025 novel Lucky Night for a future stage production. The psychological romance story is set for a March publication date, with Kennedy’s best-selling 2018 novel Do This For Me also in development for a potential screen adaptation.
Regal Cineworld Group, the company behind one of the largest theatre circuits in the US has named Kelly Dowdy as Chief Digital and Technology Officer and Adam Snow as Chief Strategy Officer.
Mini Tibdbit:
Our hearts go out to everyone in LA who is affected by the wildfires. In the wake of what is happening, some screenings have been canceled: Amazon’s Unstoppable, Universal’s Wolf Man, Max’s Better Man, and The Pitt.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Amy Schumer is kinda pregnant? Netflix has dropped a trailer for the new original film, Kinda Pregnant, which sees the comedian wearing a strap-on prosthetic belly in order to reap all the special treatment that comes with pre-motherhood. Adam Sandler’s nephew Tyler Spindel (dir. The Out-Laws) directed the film, and his uncle’s Happy Madison is producing.
Official Logline:
Lainy (Schumer), who, being jealous of her best friend’s (Jillian Bell) pregnancy, begins to wear a false pregnant belly - and accidentally gets to meet the man of her dreams.
Schumer first began her stand-up career in the early 2000s. Over time, her success has led to several major televised comedy specials and two feature films, Trainwreck (2015, trailer), which was a breakout hit, and I Feel Pretty (2018, trailer), opposite Michelle Williams, both of which she wrote and starred in as the lead.
On the small screen, Schumer has been involved in multiple limited series’ and TV specials, including Expecting Amy (2020), a three-part documentary about her (real) nauseating pregnancy. Most recently, she directed, wrote, and created the Hulu dramedy Life & Beth (2022-2024), which she starred in alongside Michael Cera for two seasons.
Kinda Pregnant will be available on Netflix on Feb. 5th.
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Director Ridley Scott’s upcoming film The Dog Stars with 20th Century is swapping leads. Paul Mescal, who starred in Scott’s latest Gladiator II, is out. Jacob Elordi is currently in talks.
Loose synopsis:
In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus wipes out humanity. Survivors face roaming scavengers called Reapers. Protagonist Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife.
Elordi would play Hig, who finds hope when he hears a radio transmission that points to life outside the airbase where he is huddled down.
Elordi is an extraordinary actor who has immense gravity despite his young age. This was in full force in Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada (our podcast interview w/ Schrader). even though Elordi wasn’t one of the many talented actors who starred in Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, he’d have fit right in.
Scott is famous for preparing for future projects way in advance, so it seems he is trying to lock down Elordi while he still can.
Scott has strong ties to 20th Century Fo,x going back to films like The Martian (2015) and Prometheus (2012).
Armie Hammer will star in The Dark Knight (IMDBPro link). This is not a Nolan reboot but instead the new film by Uwe Boll (In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale).
Here’s the synopsis:
A man takes justice into his own hands, hunting down criminals. His vigilante crusade makes him a social media star but puts him at odds with the local police chief.
Recently, Hammer returned to acting in a Western, Frontier Crucible. And William H. Macy (Fargo, Magnolia, Shameless) is joining him.
Tidbits:
Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer is set to lead new Welsh/French thriller series, Minotaur (IMDBpro link), alongside Call My Agent’s Assaad Bouab.
Official Logline:
Whilst fighting addiction, Angel (Dormer) gravitates towards the mysterious Luc (Bouab), but as an initial attraction grows stronger and promises a fresh start for both, the past looks determined to drag Luc back into a dangerous underworld.
Filmmaker Celyn Jones is writing and directing the six-episode series produced via Mad As Birds production company.
ESX Entertainment is behind the upcoming western, Day of Reckoning, starring Billy Zane (Titanic), Zach Roerig (The Vampire Diaries), and Cara Jade Myers (Killers of the Flower Moon). A hostage story, Day of Reckoning is being directed by producer Shaun Silva of TackleBox Films who has directed award-winning music videos, commercials, and ESPN documentaries (Boys of Fall, 2010). Day of Reckoning is still in early development.
FESTIVALS AND RESOURCES
Read Halina Reijn’s Babygirl screenplay here:
https://theindustry.co/p/prospective-best-screenplay-academy
Reijn directs, and Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and Antonio Banderas star.
Also, read Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance and Day Of The Fight, plus 34 more Oscar-hopeful scripts, at the same link above.
Sundance just added two new films to their premieres:
The Alabama Solution
Dir: Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx)
Synopsis:
Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems.
Jarecki’s The Jinx is my favorite true crime series of all time. The piece pulls at our heartstrings while also being a shockingly integrated first-person cinematic tale of the strangest real estate scion of all time. It shook me at every turn. I hope Jarecki brings the same docu-cinematic blend to his new project.
The Stringer
Dir: Bao Nguyen
Synopsis:
A two-year investigation uncovers a scandal behind the making of one of the most-recognized photographs of the 20th century. Five decades of secrets are unraveled in the search for justice for a man known only as “the stringer.”
Check out our full breakdown of Sundance 2025 here:
https://theindustry.co/p/the-sundance-lineup-2025
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Another exciting expansion update from Mubi. The company has hired Arianna Bocco to lead Global Distribution.
Her resume is wildly impressive:
IFC Films - President (2020 -2023)
EVP Acquisitions and Co-productions (2006 - 2020)
Gersh, Film Packaging/Finance Agent (2004 - 2006)
Miramax, SVP, Acquisitions & Co-Productions (2001 - 2004)
New Line Cinema, VP Acquisition & Co-Productions (1996 - 2001)
Bocco stated:
“MUBI is an exciting company with a unique vision, perfectly positioned to expand independent film distribution on a global scale”
She’s a heavy hitter, and one of a series of wins for Mubi over the past year. Recently, Mubi got an undisclosed investment from a Billionaire. And no company was more explosive than them at Cannes, buying a trio of films:
The Substance
Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley
Won: Cannes Best Screenplay
Won: Golden Globe: Demi Moore
The Girl With the Needle
Bird
Dir: Andrea Arnold
Plus, they picked up Berlin’s top prize-winning film, Dahomey. They made aggressive moves into the US market with the theatrical release of The Substance, which opened at $3.2 M and snagged $16.4 M domestic, and made $78 M globally.
While streamers like Apple and Netflix are shelving their theatrical distribution strategies, I’m hopeful that Mubi will fill the market gap and conquer.
Voltage Pictures (producer: The Hurt Locker, sales rep: Reagan, Knock Knock) has taken a majority stake in The Exchange (International Sales Agent: 2 Guns, The Thicket).
Voltage CEO said:
“By bringing Voltage’s operational strength and production expertise together with The Exchange’s entrepreneurial acumen, we’re creating a unique platform to empower filmmakers and grow our global footprint.”
He went on to say he hopes The Exchange will focus on creating powerful films while Voltage’s scale can provide “infrastructure.”
In volume, Voltage is larger, having worked on 300+ projects over the course of their company’s lifetime, including 10 last year. While The Exchange has 100+ projects in their lifetime with eight projects in 2024.
Tidbit:
While the latest SNL film Saturday Night was wonderfully fast-paced and frantic, a new BTS look at SNL from Morgan Neville (dir: 20 Feet from Stardom (2013), Piece By Piece (2024) called SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is gloriously heartfelt.
Neville stated:
“I’ve been obsessed with Saturday Night Live as long as I can remember. For SNL50, I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite independent filmmakers to tell some deeper stories of SNL. Taken together, these standalone episodes give a new perspective of SNL and what makes it work.”
We look forward to seeing what Neville can do! Peacock will premiere on Jan 16th.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Studiocanal buys La venue de l'avenir (Colours of Time). The film is directed by Cédric Klapisch (Spanish Aparment, Call My Agent!).
Here’s the synopsis:
Follows the lives of the cousins who inherit an old house in rural Normandy and retrace their steps of their ancestors in 19th century Paris.
No word on the release date.
Disney’s head of theatrical distribution, Tony Chambers, is going international, taking on a new role as president of the Walt Disney Company in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). While Chambers’ position has not yet been filled he will be taking over from Jan Koeppen who is stepping down after six years effective early February. With over three decades at Disney, Chambers has held various positions, including head of studio sales and distribution for the EMEA for several years.
ON THIS DAY
1993. Robert Rodriguez's debut film El Mariachi debuts at the Toronto Film Fetsival.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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