Paramount's Problems, Lionsgate's Bestseller
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
In The Industry News, Rugrats come to life, Amazon MGM wins a duel and a Day of Fire.
Actor Spotlight: Sophie Turner is a thief, John Boyega gets musical, and Jack Quaid is a bad companion.
Festivals:
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight/International News: Get lost in the labyrinths of Marc Turtletaub and Oren Moverman, and Magazine Dreams become reality.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Lionsgate Studios is in talks to develop R.F. Kuang’s NY Times bestselling 2023 novel, Yellowface, as a scripted series. Karyn Kusama (The Invitation, Jennifer’s Body) is already attached to direct and EP the potential series, with Captivate Entertainment (Bourne franchise) (IMDBPro link) also on board to produce.
Similarly to Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction from last year, Yellowface is described as a satire of racial diversity within the publishing industry. There is no official word as of yet if the project will be moving forward.
Paramount layoffs yield lawsuit. The 300+ employees that were laid off last week are forming a class action lawsuit with Julian Hagins, helming who was Paramount’s Podcast Post Production Coordinator.
He alleges that Paramount did not follow New York WARN laws, which state that three months' notice is needed before employee termination or employeess will be entitled to two months' severance.
Paramount rebutted:
“These claims are not grounded in any fact… Paramount employees entitled to Federal or State WARN notice receive it.”
The layoffs are part of Paramount’s plan to achieve $500 M in annual savings that will see ≈2000 person layoff (15% US workforce) that was announced during Q2.
Right now, Skydance is set to acquire the company. Pending regulatory approval, the deal will close next year. No word on how this lawsuit will affect that approval.
Tidbits:
Kurt Sutter Abandons The Abandons: The Sons of Anarchy writer and showrunner has left his most recent series with only three weeks left of filming. With the catch-all reason of creative differences, it should be noted that Stutter has previously left or has been fired off a few things he has worked on; he had a previous abrupt exit with Mayans MC in 2019 and had many clashes with Disney while working on a Sons of Anarchy spin off which lead to a firing.
The Abandons is apparently a Western drama starring Lena Headey, Gillian Anderson and Otto Bathurst.
Rob Askins (Writer: The Umbrella Academy) will oversee the remaining shoot.
No word yet if this will impact the projected release.
Veteran Disney British Exec Liam Keelan is stepping down from his role as SVP of Original Content. Shortly after Disney+ was first introduced, Keelan was vital in building the Europe, Middle East, and Africa teams, heavily involved in the content those international divisions were behind. The recruitment process for his replacement is about to begin, most likely attracting several big players and executives in the global film space, with Keelan officially leaving in early 2025.
Production manager and producer Yolanda T. Cochran has been hired by Jax Media with Imagine Entertainment to oversee the sales, strategy, and execution of production services for the company, specifically within the scripted divisions across genres for both film and television. Cochran joins Imagine and Jax with more than 25 years of experience as a VP of production for CBS Kids & Family, Freeform, and Alcon Entertainment.
Death is not the end, but it is an end: FX's hilarious vampire roommate comedy will end after this final 6th season. In some ways the series has gone far and above the already funny mockumentary it was based on.
This final season seems to be a bit introspective about the end, with each character at a crossroads, most of which being former minion Guillermo, who, after briefly experiencing vampire hood, is not so sure he's ready to devote his entire life to it.
More fun hijinx with Nadia, Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, and Colin Robinson and a new old roommate that they have forgotten about for 500 years, played by Mike Obrien.
Check out the Trailer Here.
Bonus: Matt Berry's Lazlo has a wonderful way with words. Clip.
The gang will live on, but the show may finally rest. Season 6 starts October 21st
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Zoe Saldana shines in Emilia Pérez, Netflix’s kinetic gangster musical. Saldana and her accompanying castmates, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Adriana Paz, scored the Best Actress award at Cannes this summer.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In Mexico, Rita, a lawyer (Saldana) receives an unexpected offer to help a feared cartel boss (Gascón) retire from his business and disappear forever by becoming the woman he's always dreamed of being.
I just attended a screening of the film with an electric cast Q&A.
Saladana broke down her character:
“Rita is this quiet, desperate woman that, that feels a lot of oppression and yet does not have the courage to ever speak up.”
Saldana's desire yet inability to be free like Gascón is an immense dynamic to witness.
Saldana also shined some light on her experience making the film, which she said was part experience and part experiment:
“I like to build and create out of love because life is too short and I feel like we don't give love enough credit. Love is super and I really respond to kindness and every time I have that kindness, you open up like a flower.”
During one of the film’s cinematic musical numbers, Saldana is nothing short of eye-popping.
Here’s the Emilia Pérez trailer.
The film will hit theaters in November and be available on Netflix on November 13th for US, UK, and Canada.
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Classic Hollywood actress Faye Dunaway is set to star in The Evilry, a coming-of-age sci-fi film written and directed by Alexander Garcia.
Official Synopsis:
Dunaway will play Anastasia, a spiritualist in the town, who acts as a bridge of enlightenment coming to the aid of Crystal (played by Brec Bassinger) guiding her to the revelation behind her cousin (played by Elena Kampouris) and her dark secret.
The critically acclaimed actress was most recently featured in Faye (2024, trailer) an HBO doc which premiered at this past Cannes, which candidly discussed the many triumphs and challenges of Dunaway’s illustrious career.
The Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Oscar-winning actress has given some truly memorable performances, sure to put up massive box office numbers, and is one of the first real female movie stars not afraid of a complex role.
Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
She wow’d audiences with her performance as Depression-era bank robber Bonnie Parker in the controversial film opposite Warren Beatty.
Chinatown (1974)
She was heavily nominated for playing the mysterious Evelyn Mulwray luring Jack Nicholson’s character into nothing but trouble.
Network (1976)
She was the lead in Sidney Lumet’s critically acclaimed satire of the television industry.
The 83 years young actress will be seen on the big screen next in filmmaker Jonathan Baker’s (Inconceivable) upcoming fantastical romance film, FATE, led by both Dunaway and yet another Golden Age actor Mr. White, otherwise known as Harvey Keitel.
The Evilry is set to begin filming in West Virginia later this month.
Matthew Gray Gubler pilots a new detective drama with a twist: The former star of Criminal Minds, will lead CBS's new comedy drama pilot Einstein as Lew Einstein, the great-grandson of Albert Einstein.
Lew, a brilliant yet directionless professor at Princeton, is forced to assist a police detective in solving crimes after his bad behavior lands him in trouble with the law.
The series, written by Monk creator Andy Breckman, follows Lew as he navigates the pressure of his genius and famous family name.
In Criminal Minds, Mathew played Spencer, another form of erratic genius who solved crimes, so this seems to be right in his wheelhouse.
Criminal Minds was what can only be described as a murderous comfort food show, where for the first season every mystery was solved at the end with a nice serial bow, but mid season 2 things got more real and dark when Gray Gublers character was kidnapped himself and we got to see the true danger only really shown in flashbacks.
After Criminal Minds, Gubler has been subsisting in some minor television roles. He was a friend in 500 Days of Summer and cashing in checks as the voice of Simon the Chipmunk (though you could've fooled me).
Despite his popularity as Spencer Reid he hasn't quite made a mark since.
Einstein being a comedy procedural, might hit that sweet spot of an easy going plot but with some murder splashed in. Sounds nice, let's hope it goes.
Other actors who have recently played Einstein:
Genius (2017)
Johnny Flynn/Geoffry Rush
Oppenheimer (2023)
Tom Conti
Tidbits:
Turkish star Can Yaman (Daydreamer, Bitters Sweet) is set to feature his English-language six-episode El Turco series distributed by MADD Entertainment at the Mipcom TV market in Cannes. The groundbreaking show will feature a starry cast of actors from nine different countries and combine history, action-adventure, and romance. It is expected to have a global release in Feb. 2025.
FESTIVALS
Rust will premiere at the Camerimage Festival more than three years after the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Here’s the festival's official statement:
Almost three years after the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins, a Ukrainian cinematographer who was part of the festival family, Camerimage is set to honour her memory and remind the world of her legacy.
It continues:
In the panel, following the screening of Rust, the filmmakers will discuss events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Halyna's death.
Read the Camerimage Festival’s full statement here.
The shooting, in which director Joel Souza caught part of the bullet, ruined him as detailed in this very thorough interview.
Alec Baldwin will not be attending the event; after a long legal road, he was cleared of involuntary manslaughter for the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during production.
The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is serving an 18-month sentance in prison.
Here’s the Rust official synopsis:
Rust tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents' deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after he's sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
The tragedy of the entire thing is how corners were cut so sharply to save on production costs that lives were put in jeopardy and lost. It is unacceptable.
So I have mixed feeling about it being shown.
Is it respectful to show Hutchins’ work? That’s what a lot of people are saying she would have wanted. But after Hutchins' husband sued the production, only to settle with them by becoming an EP on the project (so he could share in the upside), I’m not so sure.
No US release date has been set. The US distribution company is currently Highland Film Group’s The Avenue.
The festival takes place November 16-23.
Marten Rabarts has been appointed Head of Industry at Rotterdam Pro, bringing extensive experience from his roles at EYE International, Binger Filmlab, and the New Zealand International Film Festival. He aims to enhance IFFR’s industry offerings with new initiatives:
Rotterdam Lab 25th Anniversary
Dutch Film Ecosystem Industry Day
Darkroom Programme: work-in-progress screenings during CineMart
Rabarts will focus on building IFFR's legacy of talent development.
Tidbit:
Cannes Directors Fortnight film Eat the Night was picked up for US distribution by Altered Innocence (The People's Joker).
Official synopsis:
Young drug dealer Pablo and his sister Appoline bond over an online game called Darknoon. Pablo falls for Night, neglecting his sister. While Appoline finishes the game, Pablo and Night become embroiled in a dangerous gang conflict.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Three countries have made their selections for Best International Feature for the Oscars: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh and Thailand.
Here’s the breakdown:
My Late Summer (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Premiere: VIFF
Silly absurdist, serious trailer
Synopsis:
Academy Award-winner Danis Tanović (No Man’s Land, 2002) charms with this summer romance about a woman arriving on a small Croatian island to claim her piece of inheritance from the estranged side of the family.
The Wrestler (Bangladesh)
Premiere: Busan Internatinal (won top prize)
Wrestling with destiny trailer
Synopsis:
An elderly man from a fishing village who challenges a wrestling champion to combat.
Synopsis:
A man quits work to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by her fortune. He schemes to win her favor before she passes.
The film earned $50M at the box office and was a hit across Asia, becoming the highest-earning Thai film ever in Singapore and Malaysia.
Netflix picked up distribution rights for South Asia with the studio behind the film, GDH, stating:
“[The film] brought people of all generations to theaters, with viewers in their 20s to 50s bringing their 70- to 80-year-old grandparents to experience the film together, an increasingly rare sight in today’s digital age.”
I’m dubbing this the Thelma of Thailand.
Tidbit:
Denise Richards (The World is Not Enough) and Guy Nardulli (Tulsa King) have signed-on to join filmmaker Patrick Muldoon (Deadlock) in new indie action-thriller Dirty Hands. The film will follow a drug deal gone bad in the heart of Chicago that will have lasting effects on the family and the stability of their community.
Shooting is set to begin on Dirty Hands this month.
ON THIS DAY
1987. The Last Emperor, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, premieres at the Tokyo Film Festival (Best Picture 1988).
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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