I sat down with John Davis and John Fox, the producers of Focus Features’ Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
Davis and Fox shared why coming on board to produce director Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue was the easiest “yes” in their career. And how they worked through some brutal passes from every major studio. As well as contending with Hugh Jackman’s Deadpool & Wolverine schedule.
There are some fun insights here, including how they got hardened New Jersey teamsters to sing along during a live take.
Fair warning, the interview has BIG spoilers. But if you stick through the end, there’s a great Eddie Murphy Norbit story.
Davis and Fox are some of the best four-quadrant commercial film producers in the game, and they took a massive risk on doing something weird and dark in Song Sung Blue. Best of all, they were uncompromising.
Here’s a “short” list of John Davis’ producing credits:
Predator (1987)
Predator 2 (1990)
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Predators (2010)
The Predator (2018)
Prey (2022)
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
Predator: Badlands (2025)
Dr. Dolittle (1998)
Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
I, Robot (2004)
Norbit (2007)
Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)
Chronicle (2012)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Dolemite is My Name (2019)
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Flight Risk (2025)
John Fox has produced:
Joy (2015)
Dolemite is My Name (2019)
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Flight Risk (2025)
If you haven’t seen Song Sung Blue, the trailer is a sensational misdirection that paints the film as overly sweet. It has that energy in spades, led by Jackman’s wild energy. But it also has long periods of languishing in tragedy. And those polar forces make this a wild film. I believe it’s one of the best of the year.
Don’t be fooled by the trailer:
In theaters December 25.
