Martin McDonagh’s Moral High Ground
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
The Banshees of Easter Island, Disney rides the wave, and Werner Herzog.
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Martin McDonagh (dir: Seven Psychopaths, In Bruges) is about to begin shooting his latest project, Wild Horse Nine.
The cast, as usual for his films, is stunning:
Sam Rockwell
John Malkovich
Mark Ruffalo
Parker Posey
There are no details about the film, but it will shoot on Easter Island, which is a Polynesian island in the Pacific known for its moai statue (e.g. those gigantic-headed statues) protruding from the landscape.
McDonagh’s latest two films, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (2017) and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), center on characters that take moral superiority to perverted levels.
In Three Billboards, Frances McDormand plays a mother whose daughter has been lost for months (presumed dead). She wages a solo war against her township's police department for not investigating thoroughly.
In Banshees, Brendan Gleeson goes to extreme lengths for some peace and quiet after he ends a friendship.
McDonagh explained:
"I suppose I walk that line between comedy and cruelty because I think one illuminates the other. We're all cruel, aren't we? We are all extreme in one way or another at times and that's what drama, since the Greeks, has dealt with."
McDonagh’s absurdist tendencies cut deeper than any other working filmmaker because there is a visceral way in which he melds comedy and drama, where there is almost no difference between the two.
Wild Horse Nine, set in a land of odd yet sacred idols, could push his philosophy even further.
Wild Horse Nine will shoot in March and is being produced by Film4 and Searchlight.
For More:
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) trailer.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) trailer.
And for all you psychopaths out there, here’s the trailer… and if you are obsessed with the Harry Dean Stanton scene, drop me a line, and we can talk.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Disney Q1 2025 results. Good for the movie studio, bad for linear.
Ben Affleck is back in the director’s chair with Netflix’s Animals.
Robert De Niro teams back up with Netflix for The Whisper Man.
James Gray (dir: Ad Astra) is killing it with his new title for Amazon MGM, Kill Your Darlings, starring Julia Roberts.
Werner Herzog is going berzerk with his new project starring sisters Rooney and Kate Mara in their first on-screen role together.
Jurassic World: Rebirth drops its first official trailer and it looks like a pretty fun time in a fairly familiar premise.
Ke Huy Quan continues his career resurgence with Bad Boy, a unique horror film where he plays a serial killer seen through the perspective of his dog.
Jessica Gunning is starring in director George Jacuqes’ sophomore feature Sunny Dancer.
Some new additions to EFM: Brian Cox in Old Pals and Eva Green in Diamond Shitter. Full breakdown here.
SXSW will close out with Killer Films’ On Swift Horses, starring Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
SXSW doc premiere Deeper nabs Dogwoof as a sales agent.
Crash producer Bob Yari’s Magenta Light Studios has acquired domestic rights to Deep Water.
Former Dogwood distributor exec Luke Brawley’s Indox is taking on two new projects.
Alloy Entertainment is developing a romantic comedy based on Rupert Holmes' 1979 hit Escape (The Piña Colada Song).
A24 has just signed a deal with Nordic studio and distributor Nordisk Film to release their joint projects.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Disney Q1 2025 results. And the change from last year:
$10.9bn Entertainment revenue
↑9%
$1.7bn Disney Entertainment operating profit
↑95%
$2.2 bn Linear revenue (Domestic)
↓7%
↓11% (profit)
2.19bn Studio Revenue (Film + TV)
↑34%
$312 M profit (up from $224 M in losses)
143.6 M subs (56.8 M US/Canda)- Disney+
↑800K (US subs)
↓1.5 M International subs (Excluding India’s Hotstar)
Net loss of 700K subs
49 M subs - Hulu
↑1.6 M
Disney CEO Bog Iger stated:
“While I won’t rule out the possibility some of the smaller networks in some form or another being configured differently in terms of how we bring them to market, maybe even ownership, but we’re not right now. We actually feel good…”
Disney got a bunch of accelerants from the worldwide box office results of Moana 2 ($1bn+) and Mufasa: The Lion King ($650 M+). Netflix is majorly outpacing Disney in terms of streaming growth (300M+ subs, up 19 M for the quarter).
Four incoming big projects:
Animals (Netflix)
Dir/Star: Ben Affleck (Air)
Star: Gillian Anderson (The X-Files)
Prod Company: Artists Equity (Ben Affleck & Matt Damon), Makeready
Official Synopsis:
Desperate to pay their son's ransom, a mayoral candidate and his wife resort to extreme measures, revealing dark secrets they never intended to bring to light.
With Damon now shooting Christopher Nolan’s next movie, The Odyssey, Affleck, who always was planning to direct, has decided the next best option to star was himself, therefore fast-tracking production with a cast expected to be set soon. Filming will take place in LA (hurray!)
The Whisper Man (Netflix)
Star: Robert De Niro
Prod Company: AGBO (Russo Brothers)
Dir: James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark)
Synopsis:
A grieving father and his young son relocate to the quiet town of Featherbank, which was terrorized by a serial killer known as The Whisper Man 15 years earlier, while rumors circulated that Whisper Man worked with an accomplice.
This is De Niro’s second project with Netflix in a row after Zero Day. I love that Netflix has bumped De Niro to the top of their star roster. They must be getting great engagement on his titles on the platform, currently Irishman (Netflix original) and the Meet the Parents series.
Kill Your Darlings (Amazon MGM/UA)
Dir: James Gray (Ad Astra)
Star: Julia Roberts
Prod: Scott Stuber (Ex Netflix Boss)
Synopsis:
Follows Tom and Wendy Graves, a seemingly perfect couple who harbor a dark secret.
The film is a murder mystery told in reverse, like Memento or Betrayal (the 1983 Jeremy Irons film), starting with the perfectly married couple in their 50s and tracking back to when they were younger.
It’ll be interesting to see if they end up going the de-aging route.
Dir/Wri: Werner Herzog
Cast: Rooney and Kate Mara
Synopsis:
The film is based on the true story of inseparable twin sisters Joan and Jean, who live on the fringes of society.
Herzog directing the Mara’s in their first film where they share screen time? Sign us up! There’s a meta-ness about it that fits in with Herzog’s wildly rebellious style.
Nobody's dumb enough to go where we are going: Jurassic World: Rebirth drops its first official trailer and it looks like a pretty fun time in a fairly familiar premise.
Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali play tough military types acting as security for Jonathan Bailey's dweeby scientist (maybe not quite dweeby enough?) as he has to venture into the original Jurassic Park and grab the MacGuffin.
There's some Alien Romulus in this half-reboot.
The handful of set pieces, new and old look fun. Special shout to the return of the Mosasaur, holder of by far the scariest and most brutal kill in the whole series. I think the aim of this movie is simply to transition away from the Pratt films, which still cleared a billion despite paltry rotten tomatoes, which might explain the relatively quick turnaround time.
But the numbers don't lie:
Jurassic World (2015)
$1.67 bn WW
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
$1.3 bn WW
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
$1 bn WW
Above all, this seems safe, which is ironic considering the dangerous subject material. Regardless of the outcome, surely this isn't the last trip to the island that "no one should go back too.” Hopefully, it has some surprises in store.
Here's the trailer.
Universal is hurtling toward its July 2nd release date.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Scare of the Dog: Ke Huy Quan continues his career resurgence with Bad Boy, a unique horror film where he plays a serial killer seen through the perspective of his dog, Gary, who unknowingly holds the key to a trapped woman’s escape.
Directed by Jacob Chase and produced by horror veterans behind M3GAN and Longlegs, the film will begin production in August.
Quan, fresh off his Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All at Once, also has upcoming projects like The Electric State, Fairytale in New York, and the action film Love Hurts, reuniting him with Goonies co-star Sean Astin.
It will be interesting to see the ultra sweet Quan go dark, the premise seems kind of charmingly imbalanced mixing slasher through the eyes of a dog is definitely a genre bend, but if Quan's varied performance in EEAAO taught us anything he thrives in the chaos.
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Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning, who is now both a Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actress for her performance as the deranged stalker, has found her next project.
Alongside Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), James Norton (Little Women), and Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us), Gunning is starring in director George Jacuqes’ sophomore feature Sunny Dancer.
Official Synopsis:
As if conquering cancer wasn’t hard enough, 17-year-old Ivy’s (Ramsey) parents sign her up to spend her summer at what she calls “chemo camp”, where she manages to find unexpected friends in a group of misfits and has a summer she’ll never forget.
First launching at Cannes 2024, Sunny Dancer is described as a “deeply personal coming-of-age, comedy romance” that feels reminiscent of his debut film Black Dog (2023), not to be confused with Black Dog (2024). It tells a reflective road trip story between two teenage boys who build an unlikely friendship.
Before Gunning’s breakout role in the hit Netflix thriller (scene breakdown) she has appeared in TV series like Prime Video’s The Outlaws (2021-2024), AMC+’s Back (2017-2021), and Law & Order: UK. Having not starred in a feature-length film since the British war drama Summerland (2020), the English actress’ role in Sunny Dancer has not yet been revealed.
Tidbit:
Amy Aquino (Working Girl, Moonstruck) and Andrew Robinson (Star Trek) join Spider-Noir, the MGM+/Prime Video live-action series starring Nicolas Cage. We don't yet know what their roles are. Could we be looking at this universe's Aunt May and Uncle Ben? Set in 1930s New York, it follows an aging PI confronting his past as the city’s lone superhero. Produced by Sony Pictures TV.
Spider Noir is out on Prime 2025 or potentially 2026 due to LA wildfires.
FESTIVALS
EFM (European Film Market) is the premier market for getting films financed. With many splashy projects, it will be a post-Sundance litmus test if the film industry is surviving or thriving.
Here’s our running list of the latest and greatest projects. Some new additions with Ke Huy Quan in Bad Boys, Brian Cox in Old Pals, and Eva Green in Diamond Shitter:
https://theindustry.co/p/bad-boys-old-pals
SXSW will close out with Killer Films’ On Swift Horses, starring Jacob Elordi and Daisy Edgar-Jones, which Sony Pictures Classics is releasing.
Synopsis:
Muriel and her husband Lee are about to begin a bright new life, which is upended by the arrival of Lee's brother. Muriel embarks on a secret life, gambling on racehorses and discovering a love she never thought possible.
This is director Daniel Minahan’s first feature since 2001. He’s mostly been directing TV such as Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Fellow Travellers.
No word on the release date.
The Great History of Western Philosophy (La gran historia de la filosofía occidental), premiering at Rotterdam is zany. It’s almost like the South Park snuck into a philosophy class, dropped acid, and then just had at it. Here’s the film’s actual description:
A cosmic animator incurs the wrath of the Central Committee and is sentenced to create a philosophical film under the unyielding gaze of Chairman Mao – who swiftly condemns them to death.
The trailer is a gloriously messed up paper animation montage.
Rotterdam ends Feb 9th.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Crash producer Bob Yari’s Magenta Light Studios has acquired domestic rights to Deep Water, an “on the edge of your seat” thriller from director Renny Harlin (The Strangers trilogy) starring Ben Kingsley and John Kim (Bait).
Official Synopsis:
A group of international passengers en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai are forced to make an emergency landing in shark-infested waters. Now they must work together in hopes to overcome the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.
Big time producer Harlin shared:
“Deep Water represents the kind of movie I’ve dreamed of making since I grew up loving the ‘70s disaster movies. Spectacular action and unforgettable characters who didn’t leave a dry eye in the movie theater.”
Gosh, the poster looks corny, but never judge a film by the… you get the idea. This year, the company also plans to release Bride Hard, an action comedy by Simon West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) starring Rebel Wilson.
Former Dogwood distributor exec Luke Brawley’s Indox is taking on two new projects. The company will manage festival rights for Sundance breakout Seeds which won the Grand Jury Prize in the US Documentary Competition at Sundance. The meditative, black-and-white film explores the decline of generational Black farming in the American South.
Indox is also backing Bulgarian filmmaker Eliza Petkova’s Silent Observers, set in a remote Bulgarian mountain village, showcasing six different animal inhabitants and the mystical and superstitious life of the village itself.
Specializing in nonfiction stories, these two films are not only big gets but seem perfectly tailored to Indox’s mission in pushing the boundaries of traditional nonfiction storytelling.
Alloy Entertainment is developing a romantic comedy based on Rupert Holmes' 1979 hit Escape (The Piña Colada Song), with Holmes serving as EP and the company currently seeking writers. The song, which tells the story of a couple reconnecting through a singles ad, was the last Billboard No. 1 of 1979 and the first of 1980 but has never been adapted into a film until now. There have been a few of these recent songs turned into movies, not to be confused with biopics these movies create their script around the the story of the song.
Hard Luck Love Song (2021, trailer), based on the Todd Snider song, comes to mind. Alloy, known for hits like You and Purple Hearts, continues expanding its slate, while Holmes, a multi-Tony-winning and bestselling author, remains active across music, theater, and literature; it will be interesting to see what comes out of this.
You might know the song from many movies including Shrek, it's a lonely yacht rockers anthem.
Tidbit:
There’s nothing we enjoy more than the Popeye IP getting used in a ridiculous manner. If you want a good laugh, check out the trailer for Popeye the Slayer Man. It involves Halley’s Comet, a chainsaw, and well… just watch. If you dare/care.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A24 has just signed a deal with Nordic studio and distributor Nordisk Film to release their joint projects across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
Here’s the full breakdown of titles:
https://theindustry.co/p/a24-nordic-netflix-asia
Plus, we include Netflix’s 2025 Southeast Asian slate of original series and films from Thailand and Indonesia set to premiere this year.
ON THIS DAY
1921. Charlie Chaplin releases his first full-length feature, The Kid.
See you Friday!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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