Paramount Layoffs & TIFF's 3 Hidden Gems
LaKeith Stanfield’s love, Hugo Weaving’s evil and The Bear’s Groundhog Day.
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
A cover story on Paramount’s extensive layoffs, that started today.
In The Industry News, I dive into the new hires for Media Res, the production company behind The Morning Show. In The Industry News’ tidbits, I talk about the renewal of a big Netflix show, Casting Assistants, and a new HBO comedy series.
In Actor’s Spotlight, we feature LaKeith Stanfield, who is now starring in a film called Die, My Love, which looks amazingly intense. I can’t wait to see it. I also go into what makes him a once-in-a-generation actor. We also talk about a new villain role for Hugo Weaving.
In the Festivals section, we break out what’s coming to TIFF, four high-profile projects, and three hidden gems.
In Indie Filmmaker Spotlight, we look at JC Chandor’s (dir: A Most Violent Year) return to form. And I parse out a debut time loop feature film starring Ayo Edebiri and Mary Louise Parker. Plus, tidbits on Mark Duplass and a hidden winner at Cannes.
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PARAMOUNT’S LAYOFFS
The layoffs at Paramount are starting.
Two memos from leadership have added some granularity to the dire ≈2000 person layoff (15% US work force) that was announced during the Q2 earnings call last week.
From the three CEO’s (George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy & Brian Robbins) memo:
This [layoff] process will take place in three phases, starting today and continuing through the end of the year. We expect 90% of these actions to be complete by the end of September.
This is part of Paramount’s plan to achieve $500 M in annual savings.
From the second memo, from George Cheeks (co-CEO):
Paramount Television Studios (PTVS) [ ] will cease operations at the end of the week. To be clear, this is not a decision based on how PTVS performed. This move is the result of significant changes in the TV and streaming marketplace and the need to streamline our company…Going forward, all current PTVS series and development projects will transition to CBS Studios.
He continued:
In addition to PTVS, there are members of CBS teams who will be leaving the company.
Those members include President Nicole Clemens, who helmed the studio for six years.
Under her leadership, the studio produced:
Reacher (2022-)
Time Bandits (2024 -)
13 Reasons Why (2017 - 2020)
The Alienist (2018- 2020)
Station Eleven (2021-2022)
Paramount also announced a $6bn write-down on cable TV networks.
Right now, Skydance is positioned to acquire the company on August 21st, the end of the 45-day shopping window. Pending regulatory approval, the deal will close next year.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Production Company Media Res, responsible for Apple’s newsroom drama The Morning Show, is stacking up with some new exciting hires!
The company has situated itself as a leading titan for bringing award-winning content to streaming platforms that is both thought-provoking and captivating for global audiences.
Media Res’ founder and chairman Michael Ellenberg shared:
“Mary Claire Manley, Ayesha Nadarajah, and Megan Reid joining the Media Res family only further elevates our growing roster of independent talent.”
Manley has been brought on as SVP of Scripted Television, previously overseeing and developing an impressive catalogue of shows like Apple TV+’s:
Heartfelt true drama The Shrink Next Door (2021, trailer)
Elizabeth Moss miniseries Shining Girls (2022, trailer)
Nadarajah is joining the Media Res team as VP of Nonfiction after having produced:
HBO’s Apollo documentary miniseries (1998)
CNN’s American Jail (2018)
Lastly, Megan Reid is the new VP of Scripted Development, who has spent years prior at FX:
The Steve Carell-led psychological thriller The Patient (2022, trailer)
Hulu’s drama Fleishman is in Trouble (2022, trailer)
The production company most recently launched the absurdist comedy I’m a Virgo (trailer) for Prime Video.
Media Res’ TV lineup has already been on a roll in recent years and this trio of new established leadership additions is sure to only continue the rise of premium content to come out of the studio.
Warner Bros. Television is extending a multiyear deal with The Wolper Organization, a production company that, under its new renewal, will have worked alongside the studio for more than 50 years!
Masters in long-form television, The Wolper Organization, now run by producer Mark Wolper, is behind miniseries’ like Roots (1977) . On the film front, they have developed films such as the classic Gene Wilder fantasy adaptation Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971, trailer) and the Oscar-winning L.A. Confidential (1997, trailer).
Tidbits:
Netflix renews Supacell for Season 2:
Supacell (creator: Rapman), set in modern-day South London, is one of the streaming service's biggest UK hits, dominating global top 10 lists for weeks. The show follows five ordinary people with sickle cell disease who develop superpowers and are pursued by a secret organization.
S1 trailer.
Casting Assistants Team Up with Teamsters:
Casting assistants in LA and NY have voted unanimously to unionize with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union effort, supported by casting directors and associate casting directors, aims to secure better wages, health benefits, pensions, and job protections. With all 91 ballots in favor, the union expects more casting assistants to join, as negotiations with the AMPTP are set to begin on August 26.
Boy George Biopic:
TriStar Pictures is developing a Boy George biopic, with J.C. Lee (producer: Loving) set to write the screenplay, which Oscar-winning Cathy Schulman will produce. The film, still in early development, will feature music from Boy George and Culture Club and will be adapted from George's autobiographies, focusing on the band's peak years.
New HBO Series: Flat Tyres:
Fifth Season produces this series on a group of four misguided friends who relentlessly pursue their dream of becoming criminal masterminds, yet their ambitions continually crumble as they navigate the vibrant streets of Cape Town. The creators are Thabo Rametsi and Robbie Leacock.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
LaKeith Stanfield is now co-starring in Die, My Love, a new film by Lynne Ramsay (dir: We Need To Talk About Kevin). Stanfield is a once-in-a-generation actor blending both hyperbolic deadpan-ness (See: Sorry to Bother You, Atlanta) and unshakable hunger and charisma (The Book of Clarence).
There’s no word on who he will play in Die, My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, but the book about a mother’s post-partum madness is brilliantly lacerating (The Industry deep-dive).
Stanfield’s talents are on display in his ascent from indie to big-budget:
Short Term 12 (2013)
Atlanta (2016-2022)
Get Out (2017)
Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Knives Out (2019)
The Book of Clarence (2023)
We look forward to seeing him move back to his more indie roots within a Ramsay project.
Hugo Weaving plays the villain. No, it’s not a Mr. Smith spinoff series, which would track, given the groundswell of posts about The Matrix’s 25th anniversary (re-release trailer). Although my god that could be great! Instead we have Weaving co-starring in Slow Horses Season 4, the Gary Oldman-helmed Apple TV+ series centering around those MI5 agents who didn’t quite make the cut.
Inept spies = an inept villain? We have no details on Weaving’s character other than a few semi-menacing clips in the S4 trailer.
Weaving recently appeared in The Royal Hotel (co-starring Julia Garner) as a washed-up bartender. His persona feels lightyears away from the slick Agent Smith in The Matrix. It’s as if he got chewed up and spat back by the Outback (trailer).
He’s ready for a career resurgence.
Tidbit: