Jennifer Lopez and a Chainsaw
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Jennifer Lopez, James Bond, and a scare.
Let’s go!
If you enjoy today’s edition, please hit the like button or leave a comment.
Sundance’s high-profile Kiss of the Spider-Woman, starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna, is close to selling. This comes fifty days after the festival ended.
The co-buyers for domestic rights:
Lionsgate
Roadside Attractions (43% owned by Lionsgate)
LD Entertainment (National Anthem, Judy)
Kiss of the Spider-Woman comes from director Bill Condon (Dir: Dreamgirls, Mr. Holmes). It is adapted from the 1985 film of the same name starring Raul Julia and William Hurt, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.
Here’s the synopsis:
Valentín (Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver-screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).
It’s great to see another Sundance sale, which brings the total narrative films sold during or after the festival up to ten:
Netflix - Train Dreams (high teen millions)
Neon - Together ($17M)
A24 - Sorry, Baby
Sony Picture’s Classics - Oh Hi! and East of Wall
Oscilloscope - OBEX
Mubi - Lurker
Sideshow and Janus Films - Peter Hujar’s Day
Cartuna x Dweck - Dead Lover
Kiss of the Spider-Woman was a particular challenge to sell, given the massive production budget of roughly $40M and the mixed reviews.
But we’re happy it’s another festival film that has found a home.
For More:
Trailer for the original Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985).
First look photo of Lopez in the film.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Director JT Mollner (Strange Darlings) and Glen Powell are circling a Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake.
David Heyman (prod: Barbie) and Amy Pascal (prod: Challengers) are in talks to produce the new Bond film.
Wolfs breakout star Austin Abrams is in talks to star in the upcoming iteration of Resident Evil from Zach Cregger
Zach Braff is taking on heavier material. He will star in and EP Clean Hands.
Ryan Murphy’s American Love Story has cast its first lead, Sarah Pidgeon.
YouTuber turned actor Jimmy Tatro joins Will Ferrell’s Amazon MGM comedy.
Jack Lilley, one of the best horsemen in Hollywood, who worked with Mel Brooks has passed away at 91.
Jan Schwieterman, best known as villain Kurt Bozwell in Good Burger, died at age 52.
Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building adds Christoph Waltz.
Reinas wins Best Feature Film at the Swiss Film Awards.
Josh Trank (dir: Chronicle, 2015’s Fantastic Four) will direct his 4th feature, Send A Scare.
Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) and Tom Riley (Da Vinci's Demons) launched Westborn Pictures.
Channel 4 has ordered its first digital original drama, Beth.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Chainsaw Massacre offers are revving up: Estate representative Verve is actively fielding offers for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, which it has repped since 2017.
Director JT Mollner and producer Roy Lee, riding high off their indie hit Strange Darling, are among the interested parties, with Glen Powell potentially reading the script if it moves forward.
While no formal deals have been made, companies like Lionsgate, A24, and Neon are also circling the property. Verve is developing a multimedia strategy for the franchise, which has grossed over $252 million globally and launched stars like Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger (who share a scene in this 1994 clip).
The nine films in the series span from gory slasher to, more recently, a more meta self-reflection of the franchise itself. Still, known not only as one of the best horror movies but as a classic film all on its own, there is still more lore to learn and still more blood for Leatherface to spill.
Netflix put together a pretty cool timeline of all of the films: Here.
While it's far from finalized, Bond. James Bond—now under Amazon's control, is meeting with creatives to shepherd future projects:
David Heyman - in talks to produce
Prod: Barbie, Wonka, Gravity, Harry Potter 3
Amy Pascal - in talks to produce
Prod: Challengers, Venom 3, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Former Chairperson of Sony’s Motion Picture Group
Alfonso Cuarón - in talks to direct
Dir: Roma, Gravity, Harry Potter 3, Children of Men
Cuarón was previously offered to direct a Bond film but turned it down as he felt the rights holders, Barbara Broccoli and co, were too controlling (part of what made Bond great is how precious Broccoli was over all the creative decision-making).
This is all pending Broccoli closing her deal with Amazon, which is reportedly paying her a significant sum—not quite $1bn, but a hefty amount.
Tidbits:
Co-showrunner and EP Matt Owens of Netflix’s live-action series One Piece is exiting the show, citing mental health reasons. The show wrapped production on its second season last month, just before Owens’ departure.
Apple TV+’s Severance has been renewed for Season 3.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Zach Braff is taking on heavier material. He will star in and EP Clean Hands, a true-story drama about former drug cop Kevin Simmers and his daughter Brooke’s battle with addiction.
Directed by Jake Allyn (Ride), the film explores the opioid crisis from both law enforcement and personal perspectives, with Braff portraying a man whose transformation leads him to create a groundbreaking recovery center.
While the former indie darling has had a consistent career in TV, Films, and some VO, there hasn't really been much that has stood out since the Scrubs/Garden State days. Braff has always had a lot of unappreciated acting chops. He showed surprising range in Scrubs-clip, but it has been hard for him to shake that ever-present shadow of twee. Focusing on something a bit more impactful could end up being just what the doctor ordered.
Wolfs breakout star Austin Abrams is in talks to star in the upcoming iteration of Resident Evil from Zach Cregger (dir: Barbarian) and Sony.
The on-the-rise actor has worked with Cregger before having just wrapped the director’s highly anticipated horror thriller Weapons. While Abrams’ resume isn’t terribly extensive, he has an electric mania that you can witness in Euphoria (he plays the recurring role of Ethan Lewis scene) and is caught between Pitt and Clooney in Apple TV+’s Wolfs bts clip.
That’ll lend itself well to Resident Evil, which requires the characters to have a heightened paranoia as a survival mechanism.
Sony’s Resident Evil reboot will play in theaters September 2026.
Ryan Murphy’s American Love Story has cast its first lead, Sarah Pidgeon.
Here’s the synopsis:
Explores the story of the courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette (Pidgeon), including their tragic deaths.
Pidgeon is an up-and-comer, so this is tremendous that she’s helming a Murphy series. She has a sad hawkishness mixed with a jovialness (trailer for Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things). Compare with a snapshot of footage of the real Bessette.
There’s a bit of cruel irony with this casting. Pidgeon is known for her role in Prime’s The Wilds, about a group of girls that survive a plane crash. The real-life Bessette tragically died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
If you are enjoying the newsletter and see its value, please consider supporting the newsletter by becoming a premium subscriber https://theindustry.co/subscribe
Jack Lilley, one of the best horsemen in Hollywood who worked on Westerns with Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, and John Ford has passed away at 91. Among his many credits:
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Gunsmoke (1961 - 1974)
He was remembered fondly by Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert.
The pilot for Hulu and 20th Television’s Prison Break spinoff has a stacked cast of new series regulars.
Clyton Cardenas (Mayans M.C.)
JR Bourne (Mayans M.C.)
George Flores (Dumplin)
Myles Bullock (Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist)
These actors will be joining the series: Emily Browning (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Lukas Gage (The White Lotus), and Drake Rodger (Landman). A release date has not yet been announced.
Tidbits:
YouTuber turned actor Jimmy Tatro joins Will Ferrell and Zac Efron’s comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller (dir: Neighbors) and in production at Amazon MGM Studios. No word on who Tatro will be playing, but he just worked with Ferrell in Prime’s You’re Cordially Invited and is not a shitty person. The film is currently in production.
Jan Schwieterman, best known as villain Kurt Bozwell in Good Burger, died February 28th at age 52. A former actor with roles in Felicity and ER, he is survived by his parents, siblings, and extended family. He was hilariously evil in Good Burger: Clip.
Paramount+’s Tulsa King adds two new series regulars Robert Patrick (1923) and Beau Knapp (SEAL Team), for its upcoming third season. The sophomore season (trailer) set a record for the most-watched premiere for the streamer, with 21 M global viewers tuning in. Production of the third season of the Sylvester Stallone-led drama is currently underway.
Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building has had a revolving door of A-list guest stars, with Christoph Waltz as the newest addition tapped for a recurring role in its fifth season. New characters and storylines for the next season are being kept under wraps, with production already in progress.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS / FESTIVALS
Channel 4 has ordered its first digital original drama, Beth. The three-part sci-fi thriller is written and directed by Edicus’ Uzo Oleh and follows a deeply in love married couple who dream for years to have a child. Actor Nicholas Pinnock (This Town) and Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) will play on Channel 4’s YouTube and stream. Check out the trailer for Oleh’s Edicus here.
Screenwriter Kat Wood’s action thriller script, Pete, has been picked up by German-based Leonine Studios. While the plot is currently being kept under wraps, it has been described as a new take on a home invasion. Pete would be Wood’s seventh original feature project with her sci-fi script Envoy sold not long ago to veteran producer and Sony exec Amy Pascal (prod. Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse).
Reinas wins Best Feature Film at the Swiss Film Awards. Here’s some more on the film:
The film premiered at Sundance and won the Best Feature Film Generation award in Berlin.
Synopsis:
Two teenage sisters are about to leave their country forever when they unexpectedly reconnect with an absent father. This relationship will both amplify and ease their pain of change.
Jessica Alba previously boarded as an EP. No release date has been set. Here is the amazingly exuberant trailer.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Josh Trank will direct his 4th feature, Send A Scare. His name might not ring a bell, but he directed the pretty epic found footage Chronicle (2012) and then leveled up too quickly with the disastrous Fantastic Four (2015).
His latest seems to be a return to his indie roots.
Victoria Justice and Robbie Amell (The Duff) will star in Send A Scare, a horror-thriller about an interactive scare startup whose demonstration is hijacked by a real masked killer.
Though many considered Trank a promising young director, his erratic behavior on Fantastic Four resulted in his being sent to the director's jail.
We hope he can dig himself out. Send A Scare is in pre-production.
Tidbits:
Lizzy Caplan (Party Down) and Tom Riley (Da Vinci's Demons) launched Westborn Pictures to create character-driven film and TV content. The husband-wife team brings two decades of experience as actor-producers. Their debut project, a Netflix drama based on Get Me Risa Heller!, is in development. Westborn partners include A24, Anonymous Content, Killer Films, and others across the U.S. and UK, stating:
“We couldn’t decide between starting this company or having another (human) baby. Ultimately we opted for the company”
Congratulations on your new progeny, you two.
ON THIS DAY
1999. The Matrix premieres.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
Follow us on: Facebook | Instagram
Want to advertise with us? Email: clarke.scott@theindustry.co
I haven't seen Diego Luna in a film for a while. It will be great to see him on the screen.