Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Cover Story on Judd Apatow’s rumored time travel film. We dive into what it’ll take to make it as poignant as Groundhog Day.
In The Industry News, we explore an ER lawsuit that could derail Max’s upcoming medical show. Plus, seven more news items.
In Actor’s Spotlight, we look at Chris Pine’s Italian Job… a film where he speaks entirely in Italian. And John C. Reilly’s return to drama and five more actors to keep an eye on.
In Festivals, we look at three films headed to Venice, including Harvest Eyes, a Caleb Landry Jones fable set in a time long forgotten. And a rare Tunisian breakout film.
For Indie Filmmaker Spotlight, we feature Kirk Jones (dir: Waking Ned Devine), who is getting back in the director’s chair after eight years, in a radical departure from his previous work.
Let’s go!
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FINAL CALL - Ted Hope Live Event tonight: https://theindustry.co/p/how-to-pitch-your-screenplay
Judd Apatow’s next film may be a time-travel comedy/romance.
So far, this is just a rumor, but here’s the synopsis:
A couple going through a divorce who travel back in time to their Hawaiian wedding to convince their younger selves not to get married, only to realize they still love each other.
Will this film mark a resurgence for Apatow?
The legendary comedic director (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up), after years of unsuccessful pitches, mostly making documentaries in the interim (George Carlin's American Dream, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling), fired his agent of 30 years and switched to WME.
Apatow’s last narrative, The Bubble (2022), did not have the same comedic magnetism as his mid-2000s work.
So, the degree to which his new film succeeds will be entirely based on the quality of the script and, thus, Apatow’s understanding of the pitfalls and potential of the time travel genre.
In the next section, we break down the greatest time travel films of the last 30 years and the biggest misses, plus my favorite standout singular moment in a time travel project:
https://theindustry.co/p/the-dangers-of-the-time-loop
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Sonic meets his match: Sonic 3 will bring a fan favorite from the games to the big screen.
Shadow the Hedgehog, the film’s villain, is a lot like Sonic; he's just as fast but maybe a bit more brooding. Introduced first in the nostalgic Sonic Adventure 2 Battle game, he quickly becomes a beloved member of the crew and brings a little grit to the whole situation now voiced by John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves.
Despite mixed reviews for the previous films, this is the movie that brought Jim Carrey out of retirement, and he will not only be returning for his role but also playing his own father in some Austin Powers double role shenanigans.
The trailer promises more of the same flashy CGI with a fun, ever-growing cast headed by Ben Schwartz. Some fans have a bit of ownership over this series, bullying Paramount to redesign Sonic after the original trailer for Sonic 1 (2020) was destroyed for its ugly Sonic.
Paramount relented, pushed it back, and returned with a much more videogame-appropriate design; for the first time ever, nerds won. Now we have three of these, with more surely on the way. Are you happy now?
Whether you are ready or not, Sonic is racing to theatres on December 20th.
An ER rip-off? Sherri Crichton, the widow of the NBC hit medical show ER creator Michael Crichton, is suing Max for The Pitt (2025), their upcoming medical series.
The lawsuit states:
“The Pitt is ER, It’s not like ER. It’s not kind of ER. It’s not sort of ER. It is ER with the exact same executive producer, writer, star, production companies, studio and network as the planned ER reboot.”
It continues:
“Rather than afford Crichton the ‘created by’ credit he deserved, Defendants would pretend their reboot was not his creation at all, thereby enriching themselves to the tune of millions of dollars — potentially hundreds of millions or several billion dollars in success — and depriving Crichton’s heirs of their rightful share.”
We’ll see what comes out in litigation and how much the show derives or deviates from ER.
Yellowstone may get a surprise 6th Season after the lead, Kevin Costner, exited to embark on directing his four-film, magnum opus Horizon. Amid the uncertainty of the show’s future, Yellowstone actors Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are in discussions to for a new season. With Kevin Costner’s departure and a slate of spin-offs (The Madison) in the works, the series’ enduring legacy will, at a bare minimum, continue into season 5B, which airs on Paramount+ on November 10th.
Regal Cinemas (425 US locations) has secured a multiyear partnership with Fandango (owner: Comcast). They will unite their digital platforms in an attempt to drive industry attendance. This collaboration, which will reach an estimated 50 M monthly, will introduce new ticketing options and the ability to pre-purchase concessions and exclusive merchandise.
In Max’s Sweethearts Kiran Shipka (Sabrina) & Nico Hiraga (Booksmart) will play two college freshmen navigating breakups over Thanksgiving. Directed by Jordan Weiss (creator: Hulu’s Dollface). It's straight to streaming on Max on November 8th.
Daruma: Freestyle Digital Media acquired North American rights to Daruma, an indie drama featuring authentically-cast disabled lead actors. It tells a story of fatherhood, redemption, and found family in the wake of a paralyzing accident. The film premieres in theaters and digitally on November 15.
Paramount, in its continued attempt to cut costs by $500M/year, is looking to sell 12 local stations. After Paramount’s $6bn write-down of its cable networks, the company, which will now almost certainly be acquired by Skydance, is looking into the sale of twelve independent stations from NY, Philly, Dallas, etc. That sale could bring anywhere from $500M and $1 bn. There is no word on buyers as this is in the early stages.
Amazon’s unscripted production studio, MGM Alternative (The Voice and Survivor), may soon be under new ownership, as Amazon is considering selling. While Amazon received multiple offers, a deal is uncertain, with the profitable division remaining under Amazon MGM Studios for now.
(I’m a New Yorker so please read the following in the cheeky tone it was intended…)
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