Margot Robbie's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Margot Robbie’s fantasy, Jason Momoa’s comedy, and a naughty palindrome.
Let’s go!
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Margot Robbie stars in the upcoming Sony film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.
Her character shares DNA with Barbie, especially the way her relationship to fantasy shifts from joyful to troubling.
In the newly released trailer for A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Robbie and Colin Farrell go on a first date guided by a magical GPS that leads them into moments from their pasts. In one scene, they witness Farrell as a high schooler getting his heart broken by a crush. In another, they see Robbie’s final meeting with her mother.
Each scene in the past gives deep access to each other’s vulnerabilities in a way that at first seems enchanting. They’re getting to see each other’s messy moments, a shortcut to intimacy.
But that access becomes corrosive. Rather than creating something together in the present, they are pulled backward towards each other’s lows, where they exhibited poisonous behavior.
In this way, the film actually moves in the opposite direction of Barbie, using fantasy to dissolve reality.
Yet the effect in both is similar: Robbie becomes undone by an environment that doesn’t match up to what she feels inside. And this disorientation is the magnetizing pull that makes her a superstar.
Sony releases in September.
For More:
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey trailer.
Feels similar to Midnight in Paris (2011). Trailer.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Jason Momoa and Andy Samberg team up for a Netflix comedy.
Luca Guadagnino’s potential next project is Artificial for Amazon MGM.
Netflix wins spec script Starfckers*.
Skydance closes 7-figure deal for Doppelgänger, a spy thriller
Maureen Shepard joins Netflix as Director of Studio Scripted Series.
Paramount adapts the viral fantasy romance Divine Rivals.
Janus Films acquires Magellan starring Gael García Bernal.
Bleecker Street promotes Kent Sanderson to CEO.
Utopia picks up the splashy SXSW film Mermaid.
Greenwich acquires Angelheaded Hipster.
Tubi acquires Please Don’t Feed the Children, Destry Spielberg’s horror debut.
Netflix names Film4’s Ollie Madden Director of UK Film.
Rachel Sennott’s HBO comedy adds Moses Ingram and Elijah Wood.
Nicole Clemens joins Amazon as Head of International Originals.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Jason Momoa brings Andy Samberg to Hawaii for a new untitled Netflix comedy. The duo may seem a bit strange at first, but Momoa does have a funny bone, which he displayed in the terribly fun but goofy Minecraft Movie.
Samberg Party Over Here and Momoa’s On The Roam production companies are signed on to produce. The script will be penned by SNL heavyweights Rob Klein and John Solomon.
Plot details are hush-hush, but I could see this combo working like peanut butter and Guinness; we could be in for a very weird, very fun ride.
Amazon MGM is lining up a major project, Artificial.
Everyone is still in talks, but the project is coalescing rapidly:
Dir: Luca Guadagnino (Challengers, Queer)
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), and Yura Borisov (Anora)
Prod Co: Heyday Films (Harry Potter, Barbie, Wonka)
Prod: Jennifer Fox (We Need to Talk About Kevin)
Writer: Simon Rich (Additional Material: Wonka)
This film follows OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during the tumultuous days when he is fired and then rehired. Seems similar to Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs.
The comedy-drama is aiming to shoot this summer.
Following a major auction, Netflix snags comedy spec Starf*ckers from emerging writer Heather Regnier (prod. Veronica Mars), writing the script alongside Jonah Hill, with the actor’s Strong Baby Productions (Overcompensating) producing.
Reigner has a film currently in pre-production, Creature, with A24 and Paul Rudd attached. The series is described as a “Hollywood sci-fi adventure.”
Tidbit:
Maureen Shepard has been brought on by Netflix as Director of the Studio Scripted Series. After six years at LuckyChap (Barbie), Shepard recently worked closely with Netflix for the dark cult comedy Sirens (trailer), which has become one of the streamer’s top shows since its premiere early May, making this transition an organic one for her.
Paramount Pictures has secured the rights to the fantasy romance novel Divine Rivals from the book series Letters of Enchantment by Rebecca Ross. Sofia Alvarez (writer: Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) will adapt the script. Described as You’ve Got Mail but magical, Divine Rivals went extremely viral on social media when it was first published in 2023.
Mini Tidbit:
Skydance closed a 7-figured deal for the spy thriller script Doppelgänger. No plot details are known, but Aneesh Chaganty (dir: Searching) co-wrote and will direct and produce. Proximity Media (Sinners) serves as the production company.
Only 41% of Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve of CEO David Zaslav’s pay package. That checks out, as Zaslav is getting paid $51.9M, up 4% this year, the highest media executive, even above Ted Sarandos’ $49.8M.
Sony Music Group has named its subsidiary Arista Records (Soundtrack: Bullet Train, The Idea of You) new co-presidents: Clio Massey and Matt D’Arduini.
Two longtime NBCUniversal executives, Amy Geary and Pat Hicks, have been promoted. Geary will take on EVP and Hicks will become SVP of Platform Distribution and Partnerships.
California’s proposal to increase its tax incentive has just gotten one step closer to passing: https://theindustry.co/p/ca-tax-incentive
Trailers:
Prime’s We Were Liars series
Release date: June 18
HBO’s The Gilded Age (Season 3)
Release date: June 22
Release date:
Apple TV+’s Slow Horses (Season 5)
Release date: Sept 24
First look image of a very glum Gary Oldman
Warner Bros.’ Animal Friends
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza
Release Date: October 10, 2025 → May 1, 2026.
FESTIVALS
The Latvian rotoscope animation Dog of God's first look trailer looks BONKERS. There is so much crazy sexual imagery that the end tagline, “a film about the most famous werewolf trials,” caught me totally off guard. Playing at Tribeca Film Festival in the Escape from Tribeca section.
Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic just dropped their official selection. If you’re in the area, check out Rebuilding, which premiered at Sundance. Another film in competition there is The Visitor from Lithuania. The first look clips seem innocuous until the metaphorical gut punch at the end.
Janus Films has acquired Lav Diaz’s historical epic Magellan, starring Gael García Bernal as the famed Portuguese explorer, following its Cannes debut. The film is an epic and was apparently shot in collaboration with Portugal, Spain, the Philippines, France, and Taiwan. There is a theatrical release planned and even hope for a stab at awards season.
Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone producer Datari Turner produces the Tribeca US Narrative competition’s romance thriller Ride or Die. Check out the clip. Jamie Foxx also produces.
Sundance adds 4 to its board:
David Nevins (EP: Arrested Development)
Scott Frank (Writer: Logan, Minority Report)
Greg Sarris (Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian)
Blair Ligelis Stein (VP, Paramount Marketing & Distribution)
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Bleecker Street (distributor: Hard Truths, Wedding Banquet, Logan Lucky) made some big promotions:
Kent Sanderson to CEO
Tyler DiNapoli to President and CMO
Rachel Allen to EVP of Publicity
I got to spend a bunch of time with Tyler and Rachel at Sundance, and they’re the best of the best. They have a sharp eye for great projects, including last year’s Hard Truths.
They also acquired my favorite film at Sundance this year, Rebuilding, starring Josh O’Connor.
I’m psyched to see them continue to burgeon. Next up for Bleecker Street: David Mackenzie’s Relay. If you’re seeing the Tribeca premiere this weekend, come say “hi.”
Charlie Sextro picks up Mermaid! Translation: Sextro, the former Sundance Senior Film Programmer for 13 years, who recently became the SVP of Acquisitions & Business Development at Utopia (Distributor: Red Rooms, Shiva Baby), has made his first acquisition: Mermaid, which premiered at SXSW.
Sextro stated:
“At Utopia, we love a wild movie, especially one that is funny as hell, so we jumped at the opportunity to release Mermaid.”
Releasing theatrically in early 2026. The SXSW synopsis is wild.
Tidbit:
Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, directed by Ethan Silverman. The documentary celebrates Marc Bolan and his band T. Rex's rise to fame in the glam rock era, and their influence on punk through Britpop. It features archival performances and interviews with peers like David Bowie, Nick Cave, and Joan Jett.
DOCUMENTARY+ Originals and Rolling Stone Films have acquired Oh Yeah!, a short documentary about the band Yello’s 1980s hit song, made popular by its integral integration in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Directed by Nick Canfield, the film explores the song’s pop culture legacy through interviews, archival footage, and the quirky story of its creators, Boris Blank and Dieter Meier. Making its Tribeca debut June 7th.
Who better to tell this story than her own daughter? Law & Order: SVU’s leading lady, Mariska Hargitay, is making her directorial debut with My Mom Jayne, a look at the tumultuous life of her late mother, and Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield (1956’s The Girl Can’t Help It). The documentary, which premiered at Cannes and will play at Tribeca, has dropped a trailer. My Mom Jayne will drop on HBO on Jun. 27th.
Tubi has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Please Don’t Feed The Children, the horror-thriller debut of Destry Allyn Spielberg. The film follows orphans navigating a post-apocalyptic post-virus world. Premiering June 27.
Cinetic Media has hired David Karp as senior manager and Andrea Wax as a manager, with both hires coming from Entertainment 360. Noah Stahl joins as a producer, bringing his robust Rolodex of connections, and he will work heavily with the finance group to bring projects to fruition.
Mini Tidbit:
Joris Debeij makes his directorial debut with the Stephen Curry-produced basketball documentary Good Shot, about a local basketball legend struggling to recapture his past glory (trailer).
Ethan Coen’s final film in his B-Movie trilogy will be called Go, Beavers! The script has been written. No word on financing or shoot dates.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS / THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Director of Film4 and Channel 4 Drama, Ollie Madden, is moving to Netflix in the role of Director of UK Film. He will oversee a handful of filmmaker-led series and act as the leader and primary contact of Netflix’s UK film slate. During his eight-year tenure at Film4, Madden’s slate included Oscar-winning films like Poor Things (2023) and The Zone of Interest (2023).
Rachel Sennott’s untitled HBO comedy series has added Moses Ingram (Lady in the Lake) and Lauren Holt in recurring roles, with Elijah Wood and Josh Brener joining as guest stars. The ensemble comedy follows a codependent friend group reunion. Woods just signed with Gersh in February, so it seems like they’re helping get him a wider range of roles.
Mini Tidbit:
Cillian Murphy is returning to the apocalypse—but not just yet. Danny Boyle confirmed Murphy will not grace the upcoming film, but will show up later in the trilogy. Sorry Cilli-heads.
Nicole Clemens, former Paramount TV Studios chief, has joined Amazon as VP and Head of International Originals at Prime Video and MGM Studios. She’ll oversee global content.
GKids has acquired North American rights to the Japanese anime ChaO. It is the debut of director Yasuhiro Aoki. Theatrical release planned for sometime this year.
ON THIS DAY
1975. Angelina Jolie born in LA.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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