Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
STX Redux, Universal’s High and Sweet Vengeance.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
STX gets a full reset as A-CAP’s Crown Productions acquires 100%.
2026 labor timeline is firming up: SAG-AFTRA negotiation kicks off early, Feb 9.
Peter Traugott becomes Fifth Season’s Head of TV.
Paramount is holding its WBD bid at $30/share.
Mattel/Universal’s live-action Monster High attaches writers Hannah Hafey & Kaitlin Smith.
Netflix adapting author Emily Henry’s Happy Place and Funny Story.
Disney/ESPN promotes Jimmy Zasowski to president of platform distribution.
Oscar-honored sound veteran Donald C. Rogers (Rocky, Star Wars) dies at 94.
Billy Bob Thornton and Ariana Greenblatt will star in Somedays.
Kathryn Hahn is in talks to play Mother Gothel in Disney’s live-action Tangled.
Andie MacDowell boards satirical indie comedy series The Right Side.
Justine Lupe joins Apple/Platinum Dunes thriller Sponsor.
DGA and ASC nominees align on OBAA, Sinners, Frankenstein, and Marty Supreme.
Brian De Palma lines up new film Sweet Vengeance with RT Features.
Black Bear names ex-Sony exec Katie Anderson EVP of acquisitions.
Bulk pickup wave: Well Go USA, Cinema Guild, Watermelon Pictures, Buffalo 8, and Kino Lorber carve up multiple new foreign/doc/genre titles for 2026 release.
WWII drama When the Night Falls joins French distributor SND’s slate.
HBO Max officially launches in Germany.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Global media giant STX Entertainment is getting a fresh reset with founder Robert Simonds and CEO Noah Fogelson exiting and a new investor taking full control.
Crown Productions, the financing subsidiary of insurance platform A-CAP, is acquiring 100% of the studio.
The shakeup comes after years of ups and downs for STX, which became known for its star-driven films like Hustlers (2019), The Gentleman (2019), and the Greenland movies (2021, 2026).
Following the announcement of their relaunch, there is a plan to share a new slate of upcoming projects focused on stories of “quality” that stick within a $20M budget. The current CEO is board member Peter Coleman, and the current President of STX Film & Television, Sam Brown, is remaining with the company.
Labor Talks are happening this year. And while we hope there won’t be an all-out war, we also hope the studios will be equitable and responsible about AI dangers.
Some bargaining dates are starting to coalesce:
SAG-AFTRA
Feb 9 - Mar 6
WGA
Mar 16 - May 1 (end of contract)
DGA
May 11 - June 30 (end of contract)
SAG-AFTRA is starting early this year to iron out details and avoid a strike (which they haven’t ruled out). They’re hoping to impose a tax on studios for using AI performers (e.g. Tilly Norwood) so that the cost is on par with hiring real actors.
Tidbit:
Veteran TV exec Peter Traugott is becoming Head of TV at Severance’s Fifth Season. Leaving his post as president of Keshet Studios (Apple TV’s Echo 3). He’s held the leadership role as the head of the U.S. arm of Israel’s Keshet Media Group since its launch in 2015, but his move fills a hole that’s been open at Fifth Season since late 2024.
For the moment, Paramount is holding firm at $30/share for its bid of Warner Bros. Discovery. Here’s their official reasoning, including that WBD’s linear spinoff is worth $0/share. This comes after their 8th offer was rejected yesterday. At the same time, the SEC is reviewing a document WBD filed explaining why it rejected Paramount’s hostile takeover bid.
Move over Barbie, Mattel is now working with Universal on the live-action Monster High movie with rising filmmakers Hannah Hafey and Kaitlin Smith attached to write. The duo’s debut feature script, the sci-fi film Rachel Nevada, is currently in development at Paramount. Plot details for Universal’s upcoming doll movie remain under wraps. Hafey and Smith are fantastic, and I believe I shared at least a couple classes with them in college.
GKIDS has acquired U.S. rights to Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, Aardman’s new stop-motion feature, planning a Halloween 2026 release. The film marks GKIDS’ first collaboration with Aardman and follows two Oscar-nominated Shaun the Sheep films. Here’s a fun teaser.
Bestselling author Emily Henry has found a home at Netflix with two more film adaptations in the works. The announcement comes just before the Netflix premiere of her first adapted romance novel, People We Meet on Vacation (trailer), dropping on the streamer today. Netflix will now also develop feature films of her 2023 fake dating story, Happy Place, and the 2024 enemies-to-lovers book, Funny Story. Like Stephen King or even Colleen Hoover, I wouldn’t be surprised if everything Henry writes gets its moment on the screen.
Mini Tidbits:
It looks like Range Media Partners (management company, reps: Cailee Spaeny, Tom Hardy, and Keira Knightley) has won a legal battle against CAA. The lawsuit started when CAA cancelled the equity of 4 top-tier agents (Jack Whigham, Dave Bugliari, Michael Cooper, and Mick Sullivan) who left for Range. CAA said they stole trade secrets, but this claim was dismissed, and the four are expected to get a healthy payout.
Tom Cruise made a surprise hands-on appearance on the set of Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, stepping behind the camera to shoot part of a lightsaber duel staged in a muddy marsh when he and Steven Spielberg visited the set. The film opens May 28, 2027. Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, which A-lister will B-cam next?
Jimmy Zasowski has been promoted to president of platform distribution for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Zasowski will oversee the company’s distribution efforts across all of its platforms, replacing the almost thirty-year tenured Justin Connolly.
Previously a veteran Disney and Hulu PR exec, Brandon Shaw has joined strategic communications firm Seven Letter as a partner. He’ll be tasked with running the entertainment and media unit for the firm that specializes in public affairs and crisis management.
Donald C. Rogers, Oscar-honored sound veteran whose career spanned Rocky, Star Wars, Batman, The Goonies, and Shawshank, has died at 94.
Trailers:
A24’s Undertone
Next premiere: Sundance
Cast: Amber Midthunder (Prey), Michael Greyeyes (Fear the Walking Dead)
Release: March 16, 2026
Amazon MGM’s The Wrecking Crew
Cast: Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista
Release: January 28, 2026
Paramount+’s Canada Shore
Release: February 27, 2026
Briarcliff’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Zazie Beetz, Tim Blake Nelson
Release: February 13, 2026
XYZ Films’ The Infinite Husk
Release: February 2026
Shudder’s Honey Bunch
Release: February 13, 2026
Lionsgate’s The Strangers: Chapter 3
Release: February 6, 2026
Amazon Prime’s Relationship Goals
Cast: Kelly Rowland, Method Man
Release: February 4, 2026
Apple TV+’s Drops of God Season 2
Cast: Christoph Waltz
Release: January 21, 2026
Prime Video’s Cross Season 2
Release: February 11 2026
Tu Yaa Main
Trailer (wildest trailer I saw all week)
First Look:
Him, Her, and Fuji (Japan–India romance)
Release Dates:
HBO’s Mel Brooks (Doc)
Release: January 22nd, 2026
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Billy Bob Thornton and Ariana Greenblatt (Barbie) are set to star in Somedays, a feature written and directed by Brian Klugman (The Words).
Synopsis: A dying delivery driver saves a teenage girl from a crisis that could derail her future and becomes entwined in her life as her sole ally.
It sounds… emotional… obviously, Billy Bob is one of our greatest living actors (even in his weird hat under a hat phase), but even he will have to tread that dour premise lightly.
Greenblatt is a capable young actor, and it will be interesting to see her play something a bit darker. So only time will tell if the two of them will thread the needle and find something insightful, but I always bet on Billy Bob.
Tidbits:
Mother knows best, but does Kathryn Hahn? The Studio actress is in talks to play Mother Gothel in Disney’s live-action Tangled movie. The most obvious comparison would be Hahn’s titular performance in Disney+’s Agatha All Along as the friendly presenting, manipulative centuries-old witch. Hahn’s theatrical flair, knack for dark humor, and impressive singing ability (“The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” song) would make a great fit for the iconic Disney antagonist, a true, self-serving villain, who you can never tell when she is plotting or performing. While not official, this would be really sensational casting.
Golden Globe winner Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day) is making her return to scripted TV in The Right Side, an indie satirical comedy series opposite Pose’s Dyllón Burnside. MacDowell will play Ruthie, a right-wing morning show host signaling a noticeable departure from her recent stretch in wholesome Hallmark shows like the time-traveling drama The Way Home (2023-26). The Right Side is set to start shooting early spring in New York, with MacDowell trading cozy cable comfort for political chaos.
Justine Lupe has joined Apple Original Films and Platinum Dunes’ psychological thriller Sponsor, adding another high-profile film role following her breakout run as Willa Ferreyra on Succession. The role cemented her as a sharp, scene-stealing presence. Her recent Critics' Choice nomination in Netflix’s Nobody, once this flows into this high-profile film with a stacked cast (Jason Segel, John C. Reilly & Amy Madigan), just cements her as one to watch.
Mini Tidbits:
Versatile character actor Richard Dimitri has died after a long battle with heart illness. The comedian is best known for Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood parody When Things Were Rotten (1975), with the actor’s career defined by sharp humor and truly memorable supporting turns.
NBC’s Reba-led sitcom Happy Place adds Jane Lynch (Glee) and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) as season two guest stars. Lynch will play Melissa Peterman’s character’s mom, Valerie, and Stonestreet will take on an unconventional therapist in Happy Place when it returns next week.
Bam Margera has agreed to appear in Jackass 5, not in person but through never-before-seen archival footage. He will not film new material, but this does squash a decades-long beef with the crew. The Paramount release is set for June 26.
NBC is tapping into its alumni pool with Manifest (2018-23) actors Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas, who will guest star in an episode of the network’s The Hunting Party. The second season of the murder drama series premiered yesterday on NBC.
One Tree Hill’s Austin Nichols has joined the cast of USA Network’s The Rainmaker. The first season of the legal drama averaged 1.3 M viewers becoming one of USA’s biggest hits in nearly a decade with the plot of its second season currently unknown.
FESTIVALS
DGA 2026 nominees:
Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein)
Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)
This is an important category because it has aligned with the Oscars 9 out of the last 10 years. With the outlier year being 2019, with Bong Joon-ho winning the Oscar for Best Director and Sam Mendes taking best for DGA.
Once again, Neon’s Sentimental Value and It Was Just an Accident are getting shut out. But not that surprising as these awards tend to be more US-centric.
Here are the noms for First-Time Feature Director:
Hasan Hadi (Sony Pictures Classics’ The President’s Cake)
Harry Lighton (A24’s Pillion)
Alex Russell (Mubi’s Lurker)
Eva Victor (A24’s Sorry, Baby)
Charlie Polinger (IFC’s The Plague)
Our director interview: https://theindustry.co/p/joel-edgerton-interview-ifcs-the
American Society of Cinematographers nominees:
Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
Michael Bauman (One Battle After Another)
Darius Khondji (Marty Supreme)
Dan Laustsen (Frankenstein)
Adolpho Veloso (Train Dreams)
Full list of ASC nominees here.
Here’s a list of all 201 films eligible for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Mini Tidbits:
Israel’s Keshet International (Paramount+’s Red Alert) has acquired Paramount’s Ananey Studios ahead of the London TV Screenings to show off new content to global distributors. Pirates of Antiquities, a true crime series, and Day Trip: Escaping the Taliban (trailer), a feature-length documentary following four real stories of Afghan women, will both be presented by KI in a few weeks.
Just a week out from Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous market, major sales player Playtime (Black Dog) has added three films to its lineup. The trio includes A Man’s Skin starring Catherine Deneuve, a period drama The Arrangement starring Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall), and Too Many Beasts.
Visit Films (Sales Rep: Primer, It Follows) snags:
The Gymnast
EP: Randy Manis (EP: Kill Your Darlings)
Synopsis:
1993. In a former mill-town devastated by loss of industry, a 16-year-old elite gymnast and her single father, a die-hard gym dad, fight to reinvent themselves after a potentially career-ending injury.
The film will premiere at Rotterdam.
Screenplays:
Read Neon’s Sentimental Value screenplay, by director Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt, and Netflix’s Frankenstein screenplay by Guillermo Del Toro.
Plus twenty-one more prospective Oscar scripts:
https://theindustry.co/p/prospective-best-screenplay-academy-dbf
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Brian De Palma is back. The MI: 1, Carrie, Scarface director, who epitomized sleek, operatic, tense filmmaking, has lined up his new film:
Sweet Vengeance
Dir/Wri: De Palma
Prod Co: RT Features (I’m Still Here, Call Me By Your Name)
Synopsis:
A murder mystery inspired by two real-life murders.
De Palma hasn’t directed a film since Domino (2019), and at 85, we’re hoping he’s still retained his signature sleek sizzling style.
Filming kicks off in Portugal this summer.
Black Bear (The Imitation Game, Mudbound) has named former Sony Pictures executive Katie Anderson as EVP of acquisitions. She will oversee the company’s U.S. theatrical strategy, curating up to 12 releases per year across director-driven, action, and genre films, as the indie studio looks to expand its cinema footprint starting around Sundance.
It’s a big day for film pickups from Kino Lorber, Well Go USA, Buffalo 8, Cinema Guild, and Watermelon Pictures.
Here’s the breakdown:
Tamerlane: Rise of the Last Conqueror
Picked up by Well Go USA (Ne Zha) - for North America
Dir: Jacob Schwarz (Iron Cowboy)
Cast: Christian Mortensen (NCIS: Los Angeles)
Prod. Co: Mystery Box (Christmas with the Chosen: Holy Night)
Digital release: April 14
Back to the Past
Picked up by Well Go USA
Dir: Ng Yuen-fai (Warriors of Future) and Jack Lai (assit. dir. Drug War)
Prod. Co: China Star Movie (League of Gods)
Theatrical release: Jan 30
With Hasan in Gaza
Picked up by Cinema Guild (The Wild Pear Tree)
Dir: Kamal Aljafari (A Fidai Film)
Release: 2026
White Man Walking
Picked up by Watermelon Pictures (Palestine 36) for North America
Dir: Rob Bliss and Denise Alder
Prod. Co: Osun Group (Sylvia)
Release: Feb 6
The Raven
Picked up by Buffalo 8 (Not for Nothing)
Dir/Wri: Gregori J. Martin (The Bay)
Cast: Kristos Andrews (The Bay)
Prod. Co: LANY Entertainment (A Place Called Hollywood)
On Demand Release: Jan. 16th
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Picked up by Kino Lorber (Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat) for North America
Dir: David Borenstein (co-dir. Pavel Talankin)
Prod. Co: Made in Copenhagen (iHuman)
Sales Rep: DR Sales (Soviet Bus Stops)
Limited theatrical/streaming: Jan 22nd
Sales Rep:
France’s Java Films (Born in Gaza) acquired worldwide distribution rights to Desert Angel (trailer), a documentary that took over five years to film. The powerful doc chronicles the life and work of a volunteer rescuer, Rafael Larraenza, who has dedicated his life to finding missing migrants in the U.S.-Mexico border.
Mini Tidbit:
IPR. VC, the co-financier of Marty Supreme, has upped Andrea Scarso to managing partner. Scarso joined the London-based capital management company back in 2023 as an investment director, now gearing up to take on his new role before a busy film and TV season ahead in 2026.
Emmy winner Bridget Stokes (A Black Lady Sketch Show) will write and direct Zugzwang, a fantasy noir detective film about a private investigator pulled into a widening web of corruption. Christina Elmore (Insecure) stars alongside Hannah Love Lanier (Lioness) and Kathreen Khavari (This Is Spinal Tap 2).
Lynne Ramsay has signed with CAA. We hope this allows her to get more of her projects made!
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
WWII drama When the Night Falls joins the slate for SND, the top M6 Group-owned French distributor at the March Paris Rendez-Vous. The film stars Anatomy of a Fall’s Antoine Reinartz in a story about an unlikely pair who team up to save children from deportation during the Nazi occupation.
With a big star and SND’s experience distributing major films like Twilight and the Now You See Me franchise in France, When the Night Falls is sure to get picked up.
BYD, now the world’s top EV seller, has partnered with European studio Mediawan, backing the deal with a significant cash investment.
The alliance spans brand integration, original content inspired by BYD, and vehicle placement in select projects, along with a Cannes Film Festival-based “Build Your Dreams” award, granting €40,000 annually to emerging creatives. This appears to be a play from BYD to find some goodwill in other markets, including America.
Tidbits:
Alongside local streamer RTL+, HBO Max is officially debuting in Germany, letting subscribers access both platforms under one monthly plan. The deal includes everything from HBO’s The White Lotus and House of the Dragon to RTL’s biggest hit, Make Love, Fake Love. HBO Max debuts in Germany on Jan. 13th.
The UK-Ireland box office had its strongest post-pandemic year in 2025, with a total revenue of £1.1 billion ($1.45 bn). With major movies including A Minecraft Movie ($66 M) and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy ($54M), year-on-year growth was 1%, but it was still 21% behind 2019 levels.
BBC commissioner Danielle Scott-Haughton has shockingly passed away. The young executive worked on some of the broadcaster’s biggest upcoming titles, like the new Peaky Blinders spinoff series and Towards Zero, an Agatha Christie adaptation.
It’s getting witchy over at UFA (Maxton Hall). The major Fremantle-backed German company is working on Who’s Burning Now, a series inspired by folklore and old European witchcraft legends. The high-stakes period drama follows a German-Swiss woman who discovers her roots suggest she is both a witch and a witch hunter.
ON THIS DAY
2022. Bob Saget dies at 65.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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