Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Jim Carrey’s Future, Miramax’s past, and Aphrodite.
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Jim Carrey is in talks to star as George Jetson in a live-action The Jetsons movie at Warner Bros.
By our count, this would be the fifth character he’s played that originated from a picture book (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), video game (Sonic the Hedgehog), or comic book (The Mask, Batman Forever’s Riddler).
In each of these roles, Carrey pushes beyond the cartoons’ slapstick leanings. He’s zany, yes, but there’s usually a hidden sadness.
Just take his role in The Mask (1994). He plays Stanley Ipkiss, a love-starved banker who becomes imbued with superhuman powers when he puts on a mask. Carrey hits all the high notes, of course, the supercharged bravado, the wild dancing, even the crazed lover. But before he puts on the mask, he feels a real inferiority. And that drives everything.
And that’s not too far off from where we find him in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). There’s a manicness to his anti-Christmas spirit, but also a bitter loneliness.
He could take a similar tack for George Jetson.
Jetson is the stickler patriarch of the futuristic family, screaming in his strange Brooklyn accent that makes him almost seem put upon by the future rather than be a part of it. As the show’s de facto stickler, he gets the brunt of the hijinks.
And that’s where Carrey would really bring some heart to this. Cartoons can’t get hurt, but Carrey we know can, and that’s why he’s endlessly watchable. Because we think he’s invincible in these roles, but he’s able to play the emotional scarring with such sincerity as to make these once stenciled characters real.
Plus, we can’t wait to see Jim Carrey stuck in an upside-down space car careening through a futuristic city.
The adaptation of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera sci-fi sitcom remains in early development, with no deals finalized. Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) is in talks to direct and co-write alongside Joe Epstein (The Idol).
For More:
The Jetsons Clip. Tell me you can’t imagine Carrey doing this.
The Mask Clip.
The Grinch Clip.
Sonic The Hedgehog Clip.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Fifth Season extends its film and TV deal with Picturestart.
Miramax acquires London Ghost Tour, a family adventure pitch for 7 figures.
Amazon greenlights Bosch: Start of Watch, a prequel starring Cameron Monaghan.
Disney names Michael Moriarty EVP & CFO of Disney Experiences.
HBO orders doc on the Free Willy whale.
Amazon MGM greenlights Red, White & Royal Wedding, with Nicholas Galitzine.
NBC News cuts 7% of staff amid restructuring.
K-Pop Demon Hunters returns to theaters Oct 31–Nov 2.
Tom Blyth leads Bull Run, a dark comedy acquired by Vertical.
Greg Kinnear joins The Untitled Eternity Project, an erotic thriller.
Kate McKinnon joins Percy Jackson and the Olympians S3 as Aphrodite.
TIFF will expand its TV series lineup by 40% next year.
Radial Entertainment picks up all 11 seasons of Conan.
Richie Adams (title designer: Creed) directs Pedro Pan starring Andy García.
SXSW doc Luv Ya Bum! picked up by Blue Harbor Entertainment.
Warner Bros. expands its deal with CJ ENM to bring K-content to 17 HBO markets.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Fifth Season (financier/prod co: Severance) extends its film and TV deal with Picturestart (prod co: Neon’s Together, Amazon MGM’s Bratz, Mike Judge’s Automated Trucking).
The two have been in partnership since 2019, but have only released one film together:
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
Of course, this was a big win for both companies, selling to Apple out of Sundance for $15M.
Their partnership is said to last for a few years, plenty of time for them to have another hit together.
Miramax has closed a seven-figure deal for London Ghost Tour, a four-quadrant original film written by Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean, National Treasure) and directed by Josh Cooley (Transformers One).
There are not a ton of plot details, but the film aims for a family-oriented but “scary” vibe, think Night at the Museum or Haunted Mansion.
The pedigree on the writing alone definitely makes it worth keeping an eye on. Miramax just seems like a great home for this one, as it was the mind behind the original Family Spooky movie with their 90s The Addams Family movies.
“Everybody counts or nobody counts.” The critically acclaimed Bosch universe just keeps growing.
Amazon has officially greenlit a prequel series, Bosch: Start of Watch, using the momentum from the original crime drama’s seven-season run. Shameless’ Cameron Monaghan and Starz’s Power’s Omari Hardwick lead the cast in an origin story that will explore the beginnings of author Michael Connelly’s famous detective character. Monaghan is playing a rookie Harry Bosch, with Hardwick portraying his tough training officer.
Production is set to begin early next year.
Tidbits:
Longtime Disney veteran Michael Moriarty is set to take over as EVP and CFO of its Disney Experiences division. Moriarty previously served as President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland for over 5 years. The highly profitable Disney Experiences umbrella includes the global theme parks, major events, and an infinite amount of products and merchandise. Moriarty will take on the new position, succeeding Kevin Lansberry, who will retire early 2026.
Don’t Fuck with Whales: HBO has ordered a docuseries about Keiko, the orca from Free Willy, directed by Becky Read (’Twas the Fight Before Christmas). Produced by Raw Television of Don’t Fuck With Cats fame. The series will chronicle Keiko’s fame and extraordinary journey from captivity to release, spanning Mexico, Iceland, and Norway, featuring unseen footage and interviews with those involved in his rescue.
First something blue, then a wedding! Sequel film Red, White and Royal Wedding is officially greenlit by Amazon MGM Studios. Emmy-winning Silicon Valley (2014-19) director Jamie Babbit is attached with the first film’s two leads, Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez, reprising their roles. Production has not yet begun.
Spotify is launching its first FAST channel, The Ringer, on Samsung TV Plus. The 24-hour channel streams video podcasts like The Rewatchables, Higher Learning, and The Big Picture. The debut follows Spotify’s upcoming Netflix podcast deal and marks a major step in bringing video podcasts to television. Podcasts are slowly taking over, with reportedly nearly 100M people watching or listening to a podcast weekly.
Mini Tidbits:
Warner Bros.’ former marketing chief, Josh Goldstine, behind the universally seen Barbie (2023), has officially joined Paramount Pictures as president of Global Marketing and Distribution. Goldstine left WB earlier this year.
NBC News will cut 7% of staff (100-150 people). As NBCUniversal’s MSNBC and CNBC move to Versant in the spin-off, positions are being trimmed across the news organization.
Longtime producer and entrepreneur Faye Schwab (prod. Demolition Man) has passed away at 101. Best known for EPing Sidney Lumet’s thriller The Morning After (1986), Schwab worked on several features as well as TV in her decades-long career.
TV writer Yolanda E. Lawrence (Fox’s Empire) has unexpectedly passed at just 56. She landed her first industry job as a writer on CBS’s short-lived drama Shark, which luckily later led to several writing and producing opportunities for Lawrence in network TV.
Trailers:
Disney+’s Fire And Water: Making The Avatar Films
Release: Nov 7
Cineverse’s The Things You Kill
Canada’s Oscar selection
Release: Nov 14th
First look:
Netflix’s His & Hers
First look at Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal
Release: Jan 8th
A24 and Channel 4’s It Gets Worse
Release dates:
Universal’s untitled film from The Daniels
November 19, 2027
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
Winner: Cannes Un Certain Regard Prize (1st Place)
Chile’s Oscar Selection
Release: Late 2025
Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters
Theatrical re-release: Oct. 31-Nov 2
This makes sense as this film went #1 at the Box office for Netflix when it opened for a single weekend back in August. Here’s our full breakdown:
https://theindustry.co/p/netflixs-first-1-box-office
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Tom Blyth is giving comedy a go.
The Billy the Kid actor’s newest film, Bull Run, has been acquired by Vertical for U.S. rights. In this new project, the English actor will play a former pro hockey player who attempts to find a new meaning in life in investment banking.
Blyth first received major recognition for his role as the cruel President Coriolanus Snow in his origin story, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023).
Vertical is a smart fit as the distributor is known for handling daring indie and genre-blending films, giving Bull Run a platform where its offbeat satire and character focus can resonate with an audience seeking something beyond mainstream comedy.
Bull Run premieres in theaters on Nov. 14th.
Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets, Little Miss Sunshine) joins the Untitled Eternity Project.
It’s an erotic thriller where Kinnear plays Karl Munroe, a confidante from billionaire Katrine Winters’ past whose return threatens her carefully crafted empire. A vast majority of the movie appears to take place on a super yacht.
Kinnear has an uncanny ability to balance warmth and duplicity or even to hide moral complexity in warmth. It makes him a great potential extortionist.
Tidbits:
From weird Barbie to Aphrodite, you never know what Kate McKinnon will do next. The SNL alum is joining season 3 of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians in a guest star role as the Goddess of Love. The role is unlike anything the comedian has really done before, with production currently underway in Vancouver. The adapted series’ second season premieres this Dec… we love an ahead-of-schedule production.
Roye Okupe (Iyanu) is developing an anime-inspired feature adaptation of Malika: Warrior Queen with The Co-Production Company, telling an African story with an anime flair. Nigerian star Adesua Etomi-Wellington (The Wedding Party) voices Malika. This will expand Okupe’s own comics universe, as shown by his intent to adapt more of his comics into features and shows.
New Line’s Love Jones co-stars, Nia Long and Larenz Tate, are reteaming up for Netflix’s currently untitled new romantic drama. Previously at Amazon, the film’s logline and specific character roles are kept under wraps.
From the theater stage to the big screen, 70s actress Penelope Milford has passed away. She reached the peak of her career in Best Picture nominee Coming Home (1977, trailer), earning her own best supporting actress nomination for playing Jane Fonda’s emotionally unstable roommate.
FESTIVALS
Top festivals are widening their net to include TV shows.
TIFF is going to increase its TV selection by 40%. This year, in their Primetime line-up, they had 10 shows, including two from Netflix (Wayward, Black Rabbit) and one from FX (Low Down). That’ll mean they’ll be up to 14 total shows next year.
Tribeca Film Festival also went hard with shows this year, with everything from HBO’s The Gilded Age to MGM+’s Godfather of Harlem to Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
5 MIPCOM deals:
Richard Gadd’s HBO and BBC series Half Man sells to Australia (Stan) and Canada (Crave).
Here’s the official synopsis:
Ruben (Gadd) turns up at his estranged brother Niall’s (played by English actor Jamie Bell) wedding, acting as a catalyst for a revival of the last 40 years of their relationship.
Premiering in 2026.
Fremantle has acquired international sales rights to Billy Idol Should Be Dead, Jonas Akerlund’s feature documentary about the punk legend, following its Tribeca and Sheffield Doc Fest premieres. Produced by Live Nation Studios, the film mixes unseen archival footage and interviews with Idol, family, and musicians like Miley Cyrus and Billie Joe Armstrong. Nice day to start again.
Radial Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights to all 11 seasons of Conan. The major deal, unveiled at MIPCOM, follows Radial’s formation from FilmRise and Shout! Studios’ merger. Conan joins Radial’s extensive library, which includes The Carol Burnett Show and Hell’s Kitchen.
TV’s biggest guilty pleasure shows have been acquired by…
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