Javier Bardem’s Fear
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Cover Story on Javier Bardem’s new villain.
In The Industry News: Will Ferrell’s Judgement Day, Paramount’s two truths. Spielberg’s ashes.
Actor Spotlight: Josh O’Connor UFO hunter. Luke Newton on Mars.
Festivals: Columbian Mad Max. And Tallinn’s Deaf Lovers.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight: David Mackenzie’s Relay and Gaspar Noé’s hard pivot.
Let’s go!
Our live event with Josh Mond (prod: Martha Marcy May Marlene, dir: James White) on how to make a personal film on your own terms kicks off tomorrow. Details here:
https://theindustry.co/p/live-event-from-sundance-to-cannes
Javier Bardem will star as yet another iconic villain in Apple TV+’s series adaptation of Cape Fear, an exciting casting choice given the actor’s long resume filled with unhinged characters.
The 10-episode series is being described as a tense, Hitchcockian thriller and an examination of America’s obsession with true crime in the 21st century:
In “Cape Fear,” a storm is coming for happily married attorneys Amanda and Steve Bowden when Max Cady (Bardem), a notorious killer from their past, gets out of prison.
Both Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese will EP the series.
The latter directed the 1991 version of Cape Fear which saw Robert De Niro in the ruthless role of Max Cady, a violent convicted rapist seeking vengeance against his former lawyer in the most intelligent and conniving ways.
It’s not often I think anyone can outdo De Niro, but Bardem’s subtleness when approaching dark complicated characters may be more effective in elevating the intensity and unpredictability of the twisted Cady in comparison to De Niro’s more over the top wacky and wild portrayal.
Bardem brings with him the ever lingering resonance of his Oscar winning performance as the psychopathic hitman in the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men. A performance that was unanimously praised and so impactful it solidified him as one of cinema’s greatest villains. I still get chills when I think about that character.
Beyond No Country for Old Men (which could not be recommended more), Bardem played Raoul Silva, the most terrifying Bond villain of this century in Skyfall (2012). His graceful movements and slick veneer made his character’s underlying trauma all the more chilling. Bardem removing his fake teeth to reveal his cyanide-stricken face is one of the most horrific images of a Bond villain of all time.
No other casting decisions for Cape Fear have been announced but the series is said to line up closely with the characters and story from its predecessors (Scorsese’s 1991 film was a remake of Cape Fear (1962) based on John D. MacDonald’s 1957 novel, The Executioners).
Nick Antosca, the writer behind Hulu crime miniseries The Act (2019) and Candy (2022) is serving as writer and showrunner for Apple’s made-for-TV version of Cape Fear.
For More:
Cape Fear (1991) trailer. De Niro is the big bad wolf.
Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men (2007) gas station scene. Don’t let this man walk around with loose change.
Bardem’s Skyfall (2012) long take scene. Last rat standing.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Will Ferrell will star as a TV Judge in Judgment Day (IMDBPro link), a comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller (dir: Neighbors) and in development at Amazon MGM Studios.
Here’s the synopsis:
A newly released convict takes a reality courtroom show hostage, blaming the conceited judge for an unfair ruling that derailed his life.
Stoller has worked previously on some great comedies, everyone's favorite break-up catharsis Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the surprisingly funny frat revenge comedy Neighbors:
Stoller also recently directed Ferrell in the upcoming wedding comedy You’re Cordially Invited, set to stream on Prime Video in January.
Judgment Day is currently in the midst of production.
The Dude Where’s My Car of Heaven movies, Dogma (1999), may be getting a sequel. The original film was directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks) and starred:
Ben Affleck (fallen angel)
Matt Damon (fallen angel)
Alan Rickman (a seraph)
Salma Hayek (muse named Serendipity)
Chris Rock (the Thirteenth Apostle)
Smith stated:
“Some people will be like, ‘Don’t f—ing touch it. You’ll ruin it… And I’m here to tell you: I will. I’m f—ing tickled. I found a way in.”
Here’s the trailer for the original.
The film rights were apparently picked up from a company who bought them from Miramax.
Smith stated:
“Sequels, TV versions, in terms of extending the story [are] something we could never do before. So, exciting man. And all those people who worked in it are still viable.”
While Alan Rickman, sadly pasted away in 2016, getting the rest of the cast back to reprise their original roles would certainly be a miracle.
Tidbits:
Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights to Two Truths and A Lie, a horror novel from acclaimed author Sarah Pinsker, with Javier Gullón (Writer: Enemy) adapting it for the big screen. In a first look deal with the studio, newer horror-focused company, 18hz Productions (run by a former DC head and executives behind Smile) is producing Two Truths and A Lie with the specific plot details of the small town mystery story being kept under wraps.
Deadpool vs. Wolverine hits 19.4 M views in 6 days on Disney+. This is the top live-action film to drop on the platform this year, but still a far cry from Inside Out 2 (2024), which nabbed a mind-boggling 30.5 M views in 5 days. Inside Out 2 out-performed against its box office take ($1.6982 bn) when compared with Deadpool vs. Wolverine’s $1.337 bn:
Deadpool vs. Wolverine
$82.81 box office dollars/view
Inside Out 2
$55.67 box office dollars/view
Inside Out 2's lower ratio indicates broader appeal and stronger overlap with Disney+'s family-friendly audience base.
Netflix, Spielberg, and Obama acquired King of Ashes, an unreleased book by S.A. Cosby, a popular author of Southern noir, after a recent bidding war.
Steven Spielberg’s Amblin and Obama’s Higher Ground (Leave the World Behind) will develop the book with Netflix funding and providing distribution.
No terms were revealed for this family crime drama, but apparently, there was a 12-way bidding war.
There’s a new It’s a Wonderful Life in the works. Jonathan Abrams (writer: Juror #2) will write the film after selling the spec script last year to AGBO (prod company: The Russo Brothers).
Abrams stated:
“It’s a biopic about the making of It’s a Wonderful Life, but really about Jimmy Stewart working through his PTSD upon returning home from World War II where he was a bomber pilot, and how he worked through it by playing George Bailey.”
Here’s the trailer for It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).
It’d be great to see this take off. Abrams has been working in the business for 16 years, but Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 is his first produced script.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Josh O’Connor continues his hot streak as the latest star of Steven Spielberg’s new film.
For Spielberg’s next project, O’Connor will be sharing the screen with Oscar winner Colin Firth, Oppenheimer’s Emily Blunt, Sing Sing’s Colman Domingo and Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters).
Tentatively being called The Dish, Spielberg is directing an original, supposedly sci-fi, story he concocted, written by his Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull scribe David Koepp.
Here’s our breakdown on the project:
https://theindustry.co/p/steven-spielbergs-space-odyssey
After years of independent dramas and supporting TV roles, O’Connor reached mainstream film audiences earlier this year starring in Luca Guadagnino’s well-received steamy sports drama Challengers (trailer) opposite Zendaya and former Spielberg alum Mike Faist (West Side Story).
Prior he won himself an Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his commendable performance as young Prince Charles in seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix’s The Crown (scene), a fictional dramatization of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The rising British actor is currently filming The Mastermind, from director Kelly Reichart (Showing Up) alongside singer - actress Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza) said to be a crime drama following a daring art theft set amidst the Vietnam War and the women’s liberation movement.
O’Connor can be seen next in Rian Johnson’s star-studded ensemble in the Knives Out threequel, Wake Up Dead Man, set for a 2025 premiere.
The intriguing new Spielberg project is expected to start filming February of next year with a premiere set with Universal Pictures for May 15th, 2026.
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Tidbits:
Danish actor Roland Møller (Citadel) will play the lead villain in Lionsgate's action-thriller Mutiny opposite Jason Statham.
Logline:
After his billionaire industrialist boss is murdered in front of him, Cole Reed (Statham) is set up to take the fall for the crime -- leaving him on the run as he works to uncover an international conspiracy.
Shooting in Sept in the UK.
David Dastmalchian stars in The Cure, a satirical horror thriller. Written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer (writers: Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane).
Plot:
Ally Braun, a teen with a mysterious illness whose biotech billionaire parents (Dastmalchian and Twilight’s Ashley Greene) exploit her blood for sinister purposes.
The director Nancy Leopardi said the film is:
“A satirical take on the modern billionaire class cloaked in a crowd-pleasing thriller.”
With a great cast and a very intriguing premise that gives a bit more Ex-Machina vibes than a straight-up slasher, we look forward to hearing what's next for this one.
No production details have been announced just yet.
Bridgerton’s latest leading man Luke Newton is starring opposite Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale in an upcoming Sci-Fi thriller, White Mars, from director Martin Owen (Above the Below).
Official Synopsis:
Set in an isolated Aquila Research facility, microbiologist Sammie (Hale) and Leo (Newton) fight to save their fellow crew members from a malevolent entity whose sole intention is to extinguish them all.
White Mars is the first feature to be announced for Singularity, an entertainment company specializing in virtual production for indie films and also handling the project’s worldwide sales. Shooting has begun at Cinecittà Studios in Rome with no official premiere date announced as of now.
Universal’s Nobody 2, starring Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) releases a first look image.
Odenkirk’s fast-paced revenge-fueled action film Nobody (2021, trailer), impressed both critics and audiences alike following a mild-mannered family man living a double life as a secret ex-government assassin.
Sharon Stone will star as the villain in a role the director is saying is akin to Ben Kingsley’s mad dog role in Sexy Beast.
Nobody 2 is expected in theaters Aug 15, 2025.
FESTIVALS
Columbian Mad Max. Seed of the Desert a film doused in dystopia, premieres in the official selection of Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, which kicked off yesterday.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Caviche and Chelina, are desperate with their unwanted pregnancy and her father's threats. In order to fund an abortion, they become kamikaze gasoline smugglers in the Caravan of Death, ignoring the dangers that the desert has for them.
The worldwide sales rights were picked up by Loco Films, who stated:
“We were struck by the mesmerizing cinematography of this frantic race through the desert from the first shot. In addition, we were impressed by the subtle dramaturgy reappropriating the codes of the dystopian fable to bring up important social issues such as family rights and ecology.”
The trailer has some startling imagery.
Electric. Violent. Painful. That’s the type of romance painted in Deaf Lovers which also premieres at Tallinn.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A woman from Ukraine and a man from Russia who meet in Istanbul and kick off a penniless vacation romance. Both are deaf and worried about the future that awaits them back home.
The director stated:
“I wanted to create a film that shows how war destroys our humanity and, most importantly, it kills love.”
Trailer. Warning: the opening phone call scene is pretty intense. But the sexual and emotional rawness of the lovers is poignant.
The film has been acquired by Antipode Sales International (sales rep: Mother Mara).
Tidbit:
Vittoria, which played at the Venice Film Festival, is now playing at the Cairo Film Festival. It centers on Jasmine, 40, who has everything she ever wanted: a devoted husband, three loving sons, and a thriving hair salon just south of Naples. But after her father’s death, she experiences a recurring dream in which a young girl runs into her arms. She decides to follow her dream of a daughter and dives headfirst into the challenging world of international adoption – risking her marriage, her sons’ well-being, and her own moral compass along the way.
Here’s the trailer. No release date has been set.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
David Mackenzie’s (dir: Hell or High Water) latest film Relay, was just acquired by Bleecker Street. The film premiered at TIFF.
Here’s the official breakdown:
Dir/Producer/Co-Writer: Mackenzie
Star: Lily James (Cinderella), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)
Production Company: Black Bear
Synopsis: A broker of lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten them breaks his own rules when a new client seeks his protection to stay alive.
First look image of Ahmed in trouble.
It shares much DNA with the themes of Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water (2016), which stands as his highest achievement. That film should have played like an average moralistic Western. But it was instead a deep and complex meditation on the capitalist system’s slowly drain on Americans, where even the antagonistic cops (Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham), call the system into question. There was a vast simplicity to the barrenness of the ghost tones and the intricate bond of the two brother robbers (Chris Pine, Ben Foster).
Bleecker Street will release Relay in 2025.
Gaspar Noé’s cinema expands your mind… whether you want it to or not. At the Cairo Film Festival, Noé, the director behind some of cinema’s most lacerating depictions of sex and violence, stated that he’d like to make a kids film with kids:
“Kids are like small adults. When we are kids we are in danger. You are exposed to everything. I’m very attached to kids in life though I don’t have kids. The relationship you have with kids is direct and playful. I would like to do a movie with little kids. They relate to fragility, they relate to the dangers that they’re exposed to.”
There is a playfulness in Noé’s cinema that almost makes this track. Remember that jubilant dance scene that kicks off Climax?).
But more often there is an inescapable darkness. See/Don’t See:
Irreversible (2002)
If you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it
Enter the Void (2009)
Cinematic acid with a POV shot at the end you’ll wish you hadn’t seen
Climax (2018)
Dance until you die
We’ll see what is next in store for Noé, who also mentioned he wanted to make a documentary/war film/horror.
Tidbit:
Apple Cider Vinegar is coming to Netflix in 2025. This series tells the story of a wellness guru who fakes having brain cancer (trailer).
Gareth Evans (Dir: The Raid: Redemption, 2011) dropped a first look image of his new film Havoc with Tom Hardy.
ON THIS DAY
1975. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is released (Academy Awards Best Picture 1976).
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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