Michael Fassbender Damage
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A Cover Story on Michael Fassbender’s damage.
In The Industry News: Warner Bros.’s Heights. Skydance’s advisor. 20th Century’s prequels and sequels.
Actor Spotlight: Leo Woodall is a target. Angelina Jolie is a diva.
Festivals: Rotterdam’s invisible flame.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight/International News: Kent Jones’s Late Fame. Magnet’s Sister Midnight.
Let’s go!
The Industry, in collaboration with Ted Hope, is hosting a 5-part series on the New Independent Filmmaker or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Become a Prolific Filmmaker:
https://theindustry.co/p/the-prolific-filmmaker
The lineup includes Christine Vachon (prod: Past Lives, May December, Boys Don’t Cry), Ted Hope (former head of Amazon Studios), Josh Mond (Dir: James White, Prod: Martha Marcy May Marlene), and more!
We love to see Michael Fassbender broken.
It’s a quality that his best characters share, from a sex addict in Shame (2011) to a political prisoner in Hunger (2008).
But more recently, he’s taken on characters who mask their cracks by inflicting violence:
Assassin’s Creed (2016)
The Killer (2023)
He completes this trio of professional killers with his latest, The Agency, a new show coming to Paramount+.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Martian (Fassbender), a covert CIA agent is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity, and his mission are pitted against his heart, hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.
His character, by the time he sheds his undercover identity in London, as showcased in the trailer (below), has been wrecked, stating:
“Lie to everyone. Pretend to be someone you're not. Risk your life on a daily basis. No glamour. No exploding watch. I believe there's one type of agent: insane.”
Michael Fassbender’s self-awareness of his suffering is a new aspect of this type of character.
Fassbender’s brilliance lies in his ability to balance rigid control with underlying fragility. In The Agency, he captures the dangerous intersection of a character whose heart has shattered yet mind is lethal. This depth makes him uniquely suited for roles where the inner chaos simmers beneath a composed exterior.
He is a hitman with a heart.
For More:
The Agency trailer. Also starring Richard Gere and Jeffrey Wright.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Warner Bros. takes Wuthering Heights. In a win for the theatrical experience, director Emerald Fennell (Saltburn) has chosen Warner Bros.'s offer of approximately $80 M plus back-end profits for her latest film, Wuthering Heights. This deal guarantees an international theatrical rollout, opting over Netflix's competing $150 M offer. Fennell will write, direct, and produce.
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are attached as Fennell’s leads in this highly anticipated adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic tormented love story about a troubled orphan/antihero, Heathcliff (Elordi), who seeks revenge on those who keep him away from his doomed love, Catherine Earnshaw (Robbie).
Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, the heads of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group stated:
“From the moment we were introduced to Emerald’s vision for the film, and with an incredible cast led by Margot and Jacob, we were instantly committed to forging a partnership with this team to ensure the movie was brought to theaters around the world.”
Fennell, who has experience with both theatrical and straight-to-streamer premieres, had expressed worry over the risk of letting an algorithm decide her film’s success and, in turn, its cultural impact.
A tale of revenge and unhealthy obsessions, Fennell’s take will be the fifth film adaptation of the gothic novel, with its predecessors released in 1939, 1970, 1992 (Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes trailer), and 2011 (dir: Andrea Arnold).
Filming for Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation is set to begin in the UK in 2025.
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David Ellison (CEO of Skydance) is getting some help with Paramount+. As his company’s acquisition of Paramount is set to close next year, pending regulatory approval, he has brought in Cindy Holland, former Netflix VP of Content Acquisition and Original Series, as Senior Advisor.
Holland’s pedigree during her time at Netflix (2002-2020) is unmatched, overseeing:
House of Cards
Orange Is the New Black
Stranger Things
The Queen’s Gambit
Her creative and business intelligence is much needed given Paramount+’s struggles, which were exposed in their Q2 reports in August:
68.4 M Paramount+ subscriptions
↓2.8 M for the quarter
No word if Holland will transition to a more permanent role after the acquisition closes.
Emmy-nominated filmmaker Liz Hannah signs a multi-year overall deal with Sony Pictures Television to create, develop, and produce scripted series for cable and streaming services.
Hannah received critical acclaim for her work on Hulu’s miniseries The Girl from Plainville, a biographical drama starring Elle Fanning she co-created detailing the true story of a terrifying murder-suicide, where she served as showrunner, EP, and director.
Some of her other previous writing credits include the screenplay of Steven Spielberg’s The Post (2017, trailer) headlined by Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, and more recently, the Kate Winslet-led WWII biopic Lee (trailer), which premiered in theaters last month.
Emma Stone stays busy in front of and behind the camera! The two-time Oscar winner’s production label, Fruit Tree Media, sets a first look overall deal with Universal Pictures.
Fruit Tree was founded by Stone and her Emmy-nominated filmmaker husband, Dave McCary (writer on NBC’s SNL) run by former A24 exec Ali Herting. The label has been behind films like:
Poor Things (2024)
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
Stone won the Academy Award for Best Actress
Problemista (2023)
Dir: Julio Torres
Dir: Jane Schoenbrun
On the TV front, Stone recently starred in Showtime’s satirical black comedy, The Curse, which she also EP’d alongside McCary under their Fruit Tree banner.
Donna Langley, the Chairman of NBCUniversal Studio Group, said of the partnership:
“I’ve long admired Emma’s versatility as an actress, fearlessly embodying every role. Paired with Dave’s distinctive comedic voice and creative instincts, we’ve seen the incredible work they have accomplished together.
Under the new deal, Stone will star in an untitled Universal project, which McCary will direct.
Roland Emmerich (Dir: Independence Day) and Marco Weber are developing a live-action TV series based on his space combat video game Space Nation Online.
The series will explore the origins of the game's story, set in a distant star cluster where humanity has fled after Earth's destruction.
Due to Emmerich's involvement, the story has always come first. When the game launched back in September, a series of animated shorts was released. Ahead of the game’s launch, they also released further spinoff content in development.
Successful games like this bring in billions of dollars. Could this potentially be a gateway to a new type of studio structure? We don't know when this TV show will appear or where it will finally land, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on.
Tidbits:
20th Century President Steve Asbell spills the beans on a few sequels/prequels:
Alien: Romulus 2
Status: Director Fede Alvarez’s deal is in negotiation, concept is set
Asbell stated:
“The two survivors, Rain and Andy, played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, were real highlights of the film. And so I always think of it like, “Wow, where do people want to see them go next?”
I agree with him, especially about Jonsson’s performance, which was astonishing.
Here are a few more:
Master and Commander prequel
Status: script confirmed, searching for a director
Predator
Status: two films coming out in 2025, both directed by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey)
Predator: Badlands, starring Elle Fanning
Secret Predator movie
Planet of the Apes
Status: new film set for release in 2027
Amazon MGM Studios has preemptively acquired The Killing Kind, a psychosexual thriller pitch by Zach Helm, with Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort attached to produce. Plot details remain undisclosed. Helm is known for Stranger Than Fiction and co-writing Deep Water. Maximum Effort recently had success with Deadpool & Wolverine.
Sadly, Spike Jonze’s Netflix sci-fi series has been canceled. No word on why, but we hope Jonze finds his way back to feature directing. He’s gifted us Being John Malkovich, a film that came into existence based on the studio literally forgetting about the film, allowing him more time in the edit (seriously, read this).
Steven Knight (writer: Peaky Blinders) will no longer write New Jedi Order, the new Star Wars movie. The film was intended to focus on Rey (Daisy Ridley) and release in Dec 2026. Now that’s looking less likely, especially after previous writers Damon Lindelof (Creator: Watchmen) and Justin Britt-Gibson (writer: The Strain) exited.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
White Lotus breakout Leo Woodall is a math genius in Apple TV+’s Prime Target.
Here’s the series synopsis:
A brilliant young mathematician (Woodall) is on the verge of finding a pattern in prime numbers, which will hold the key to every computer in the world when he realizes an unseen enemy is trying to destroy his idea. Together with a government agent who's been tracking him, he begins to unravel a troubling conspiracy.
It sounds a bit pseudo-science Y2K-esque to me, but Woodhall is wildly watchable. In Season 2 of White Lotus, Woodall’s performance is slimy but charming, simultaneously making you feel safe but unsafe (clip).
He’s so hedonistic in that series that it will be nice to see him play a cerebral character.
Steve Thompson (writer: Sherlock) serves as showrunner. New Regency and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free serve as the production companies.
The eight-episode series will premiere on Apple TV+ on January 22, 2025.
Tidbits:
Angelina Jolie’s Maria has a full trailer. Pablo Larraín’s biographical drama features Jolie as opera singer and famed diva Maria Callas. Expected to be very competitive come awards season following its Venice premiere, Maria will have a theatrical release on Nov. 27th before debuting on Netflix on Dec. 11th.
Check out our actor’s spotlight on Jolie’s performance:
https://theindustry.co/p/angelina-jolie-is-a-diva
It Ends with Us actor Brandon Sklenar jumps from one high-profile book to film adaptation to another set to join Paul Feig’s next feature, The Housemaid, from Lionsgate. Based on the 2022 psychological thriller novel from Freida McFadden, Sklenar will share the screen opposite Amanda Seyfried as her mysterious and wealthy husband who hires Sydney Sweeney’s Mille, who quickly uncovers dark and dangerous secrets kept hidden by the couple.
The Hidden Pictures/Feigco Entertainment production is in its pre-production stages, with no official word on a filming start date just yet.
Daisey Ridley's film Magpie is out today in theaters.
Official synopsis:
When Ben and Anette's daughter is cast in a film alongside glamorous movie star Alicia, Ben is quickly drawn into Alicia's world. Anette (Ridley) is left at home with the baby, pushed to her emotional limits and psychologically on the brink.
We like how Daisy Ridley is continuing to take roles where she’s on the brink of madness, like the engrossing Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023). Here’s the trailer for Magpie.
John Magaro, who played the boyfriend in Past Lives, is co-starring in Kelly Reichardt (dir: First Cow) The Mastermind.
Here’s the razor-thin synopsis:
An audacious art heist amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War.
No word on Magaro’s role, but his subtle depiction of jealousy in Past Lives helped anchor one of the film’s poles: Greta Lee is torn between the love of her present life (Magaro) and her past life (Teo Yoo).
The Mastermind is set to shoot in Ohio this fall. Josh O’Connor and Alana Haim also star.
FESTIVALS AND RESOURCES
International Film Festival Rotterdam drops the details on 13 film premieres in their Bright Future and Harbour Strands sections for first-time filmmakers.
Here are our favorite three:
Finding Ramlee (Malaysia)
Dir: Megat Sharizal
Synopsis: An endearing retro dramedy set in swinging seventies Kuala Lumpur. Destitute and deep in debt, Zakaria is offered a lifeline by his loan shark: impersonate the Malaysian screen icon P. Ramlee in order to entertain his homebound, time-warped sister.
Invisible Flame (Kenya)
Dir: Oskar Weimar
Synopsis: When fish begin to vanish, community members are quick to blame Dani, the elderly woman rumoured to be a witch. Daisy, a fisherman’s daughter, must decide whether to stand by her friend or heed the warnings of those around her.
Thank You Satan (Morocco, France)
Dir: Hicham Lasri
Synopsis: In this dark comedy set in the early 1990s, all Serge wants to do is write his Fucking Best Seller! When his publisher nags him to shake things up and bring out his ‘mainstream potential’, he gives it all he has and, with a killer edge.
Here’s the full list of 13 films. Rotterdam begins on January 30th.
MIPCOM has ended, and one juicy deal closed out the Cannes-based annual TV tradeshow:
The Day of the Jackal
Seller: NBCU
Buyer: 200 territories
MIPCOM London kicks off on Feb 23rd, 2025.
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INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Renowned film critic Kent Jones next feature, Late Fame, stars Past Lives’ Greta Lee and Willem Dafoe as a forgotten poet whose work is rediscovered by a group of artists years after he fell into obscurity.
Official Logline:
Legendary New York poet Ed Saxberger’s (Dafoe) forgotten works captivate an eccentric group of young creatives, reigniting his artistic passion. Their intrigue intertwines with the bewitching presence of actress Gloria (Lee).
Written by May December screenwriter Sammy Burch, Late Fame is Jones sophomore narrative film following his critically acclaimed Diane (2018, trailer), a moving drama revolving around a selfless woman whose unwavering service to others hides a lifelong secret.
Jones seems to have a soft spot for undervalued and overlooked brilliant minds choosing to pursue powerful character stories whether they be documentaries or fictional films.
He wrote and directed A Letter to Elia (2010, trailer), a Martin Scorsese documentary that follows the life and impact of famed director Elia Kazan. Jones is a frequent Scorsese collaborator, currently credited as a writer on his upcoming limited series, The Saints, which will follow a different, highly influential, and widely known religious figure in each episode.
Lee was recently announced to be replacing Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) due to scheduling conflicts.
Late Fame is currently in pre-production.
September 5 is heart-pounding. The film, which Paramount bought after it played at Venice and Telluride, is a major Oscar favorite. And now it has a trailer.
Peter Sarsgaard plays an ABC reporter who covered the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attacks in this minute-by-minute intensity enhanced by director Tim Fehlbaum's (dir: The Colony) integration of live news footage into the film.
The film will be given a limited release starting Thanksgiving weekend (Nov 27) and will be expanded into a wide release during December.
Here’s the hyper-intense trailer.
What is in a name? Objectively Good Media (OGM) has secured film rights to Carlos Vieira's memoir Knockin' Doorz Down, with plans to adapt it into a film titled The 9,009 Lives of a Cocaine God, written and directed by Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair.
The film will focus on Carlos' struggle with addiction and the strain it puts on his family, which ultimately leads to redemption.
OGM is a relatively new company, but they have already worked on several projects, including the dark comedy Damned If You Do and an upcoming biopic on Steve Harvey. With a name like 9,009 Lives of a Cocaine God, we know there will be craziness, but OGM looks like they are also aiming for the heart.
No word on production just yet.
Tidbit:
Porcelain War (winner: Sundance Grand Jury Prize Best Documentary) has a trailer. It’s about the persistence of the artist's spirit during the atrocities of the war in Ukraine.
Magnolia Picture’s genre label, Magnet, has acquired Sister Midnight. The film played at Cannes Directors Fortnight and is slated for US release next spring.
Synopsis:
A genre-bending comedy about a frustrated and misanthropic newlywed who discovers certain feral impulses that land her in unlikely situations.
Here’s a clip with a few peculiarly stylized characters.
ON THIS DAY
1978. Halloween, directed by John Carpenter, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut, is released.
That’s all for the week. See you Monday.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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