Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Paramount’s Star, Apple’s Narcos, and a Harvester.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Paramount’s new Star Trek film lands directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves).
Apple TV is developing a series based on podcast Hot Money: The New Narcos.
Sony acquires rights to Labubu, aiming to launch a franchise.
Disney & YouTube TV end blackout.
Netflix promotes Teddy Biaselli to VP Scripted.
Larry Teng (dir: Elementary, S.W.A.T.) renews his overall deal with CBS Studios.
Chris Abrego re-elected chair of the TV Academy for a 2nd term.
Nick Jonas & Danny DeVito return for Jumanji 4.
Tony-winning stage icon Elizabeth Franz dies.
Charlie Plummer joins Rob Lowe & Keith David in My New Friend Jim.
Brit Marling voices the ship’s computer in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
AFM: Unmerciful Good Fortune adds Scott Eastwood & Susan Sarandon.
Mubi’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is selling at AFM.
Charlie Schwan expands his SXSW-winning short to a feature, produced by Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill.
Amazon’s Merchants of Joy (Doc NYC) follows NYC’s top Christmas tree-sellers.
Angel Studios acquires rights to Tuttle Twins, Homestead, & The Wingfeather Saga for $89M.
BBC Studios merges Asia & ANZ groups.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
A new Star Trek film is in the works at Paramount, written, produced, and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Dir: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves). It will be a completely fresh take on the universe, not tied to any past movies or shows, and likely featuring new characters, potentially even a non-Spock/Kirk crew.
Dungeons & Dragons was a fun time with a good handle on the source material and some pretty solid jokes.
I think a slightly lighter, fun Star Trek could do the series some good. Post JJ Abrams, there has been a bit of unsteady footing with the cinematic series, and with Paramount, it’s been a bit of a see-what-sticks situation with a wide range of shows aimed at different audiences.
Star Trek needs its lodestone of tone, not unlike how DC’s Superman sets its kindness as a punk rock path forward. Maybe this could be a chance for Star Trek to boldly go in a brand new direction.
Apple TV is developing a series based on the hit investigative podcast Hot Money: The New Narcos. Produced with EDEN Productions (Black Bird), the show (led by Financial Times reporter and host Miles Johnson) explores the rise of a “super cartel,” weaving together a web of drugs, money laundering, and covert state-backed assassinations from Dublin to Dubai.
Apple is following Netflix’s cue here. From the most obvious Narcos (2015-17), to Ozark (2017-22), to unscripted successes like How to Fix a Drug Scandal (2020) and Cocaine Cowboys (2021). Apple hasn’t had any big true crime hits, so this would be a breakthrough to a valuable audience segment.
The podcast originally dropped in December 2023 and quickly became a true crime lover’s newest fixation. Podcast: Hot Money: The New Narcos.
Sure, a Labubu movie, why not?
Labubu, the cute yet ugly monster plush line by artist Kasing Lung, is heading toward a potential film as Sony Pictures acquires screen rights with hopes of launching a franchise.
The hit Chinese doll brand exploded last year thanks to TikTok and Pop Mart’s blind-box sales model.
It briefly went mega viral and even became a fashion accessory.
But though more chronically online denizens will notice a downward trend in popularity for Labubu, execs see cold, hard cash.
The movie has no creative team yet, and it’s unclear if it’ll be animated or live-action (oh gosh), but Sony seems willing to chase the trend.
Final question: Who will voice the 24-carat gold Labubu?
Tidbits:
Disney and YouTube TV ended a 15-day blackout with a multi-year deal restoring ABC, ESPN, and more. The new agreement allows YouTube TV subscribers to get ESPN+ Unlimited access inside the app, plus Disney+ and Hulu bundle options. Just in time for Monday Night Football.
Watson EP Larry Teng renewed his overall deal with CBS Studios to develop new series for broadcast and streaming after six years of working with the network. Teng has served as director for over 125 episodes of TV for shows like CBS Studios’ Elementary, S.W.A.T., and The Walking Dead.
Chris Abrego is re-elected to his position as chair for the Television Academy in his second consecutive term. Abrego is widely recognized for advancing the Academy’s advocacy work and has overseen the past two record-breaking Emmy telecasts. All of the new terms begin Jan. 1st.
Mini Tidbits:
Longtime Netflix exec, Teddy Biaselli, has been promoted to VP of Scripted series. Biaselli will focus on the streamer’s slate of pre-existing IP, like Wednesday, Scooby-Doo, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The SAG Awards will now be called The Actor Awards. Although for the purpose of FYC campaigning, the original name, which has been used since its inception in 1995, will continue to be used.
Also, changing names is MSNBC, which is called MS NOW. This shift is because MSNBC’s parent company, Comcast, has spun off its cable networks (Versant).
Ryan Coogler is officially returning to direct Black Panther 3, and it is apparently the next movie on his slate. Denzel Washington is attached. Right now, they are expected to shoot in early 2027 for a rumored February 2028 release.
Three Obits:
Chairman of RKO Pictures (Citizen Kane), Ted Hartley, has passed away at 100. In between his career as a Naval pilot and a studio chief, Hartley starred on the big screen in films like Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter (1973) and A Late Quartet (2012). A few months ago, Hartley sold RKO to Concord Originals but had still remained the lead producer and chief storyteller.
George Bloom, a former Fox and Disney marketing executive and VFX leader at CBS, has died at 68. An Emmy nominee for Stranger Things VR, Bloom previously founded Vision Mixer Films and created major campaigns for Disney and CBS. He had also recently sold a sci-fi script to Miramax, but no announcements have been made about its development at this time.
Dan McGrath, the Emmy-winning writer for The Simpsons and Mission Hill, died at 61. A Harvard Lampoon alum, he also wrote for SNL, King of the Hill, Gravity Falls, and more.
Trailers:
Varanasi
Dir S.S. Rajamouli (RRR)
Teaser - 3.5min of wild epic footage
Cast: Priyanka Chopra
Release: 2027
First look:
Studiocanal’s Ink
Dir: Danny Boyle
Cast: Guy Pearce, Jack O’Connell, Claire Foy
Release dates:
Fathom Events’ Labyrinth - 40-year anniversary - in 4K
Re-release: Jan 8 -11
Also, HBO’s Euphoria S3 has wrapped production.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Nick Jonas and Danny DeVito are getting back in the game. The actors will return for Sony’s Jumanji 4.
No plot details are known, but Jonas played the kindhearted, down-on-his-luck pilot who became the missing piece for Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan (clip). Jonas showed a lot of potential in the indie The Good Half, and I believe that with the right director, he could have a breakthrough.
DeVito is back playing grandpa to the character Dwayne Johnson inhabits. Even at 80, DeVito is still a master of physical comedy (clip).
Shooting for Jumanji 4 kicked off last week.
Tidbits:
Charlie Plummer joins Rob Lowe and Keith David in My New Friend Jim, a dark comedy from Ash Avildsen (Queen of the Ring) about two fathers from different worlds who bond while searching for a runaway daughter in Reno. Not related to Christopher Plummer, Charlie was a standout of The Long Walk as the antagonistic force amongst the boys’ deadly walk (fan edit).
Brit Marling plays HAL. Brit Marling (The OA) joins Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as the ship’s computer voice, stepping into a role best associated with Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. This new season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will introduce a fresh class of cadets and an expanded cast that includes Holly Hunter, Stephen Colbert, Paul Giamatti, and Tig Notaro.
The luminous Tony-winning actress Elizabeth Franz has died from cancer complications. Franz played a myriad of iconic stage characters, best known for her portrayal of wife Linda Loman in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, a touchstone of theatrical reinvention. Beyond her work in theater, Franz had several guest spots in shows like The Gilmore Girls, Grey’s Anatomy, and Roseanne.
Mini Tidbits:
Tony Gilroy’s Searchlight film Behemoth! adds Alexa Swinton (Maestro), Margarita Levieva (Task), and Matthew Lillard (Scream 7). Gilroy says it centers on a cellist (Pedro Pascal) returning to LA after being spurned. Production began last month in LA.
Apple’s Presumed Innocent adds Lucifer’s Lesley-Ann Brandt for its 2nd season. Brandt joins the anthology series alongside recently announced lead Rachel Brosnahan, with the 2nd season inspired by the legal thriller novel Dissection of a Murder.
FESTIVALS AND DOCS
Unmerciful Good Fortune launches sales at AFM. Project breakdown:
Dir: Tirsa Hackshaw (Editor: Marvel’s Luke Cage)
New Cast: Scott Eastwood & Susan Sarandon
Previously announced cast/Producer: Rosario Dawson
Prod: Tom DeSanto (Transformers films)
Sales Rep: Noora Films
Synopsis:
A celebrity lawyer (Dawson) defends a waitress accused of multiple murders. The case takes an eerie twist when the defendant claims psychic powers, asserting she kills to prevent worse fates. The attorney grapples with a perplexing moral dilemma.
Another few AFM projects:
Mubi’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Dir: Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow)
Cast: Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files)
Prod Co: Plan B
Sales Rep: The Match Factory (The Substance)
Distributor: Mubi (North America, LATAM, UK/Ireland, and 9 other territories)
Official Synopsis:
A queer filmmaker is hired to direct a new installment of a slasher franchise. The director fixates on the prospect of casting the ‘final girl’ from the original movie, and the two women descend into a frenzy of psycho sexual mania.
Currently in post.
The Tenth Planet – The Red Sister
Cast: Kevin Spacey
Prod: Mark Foligno (EP: The King’s Speech)
Sales Rep: None yet
Synopsis:
Follows a psychologist who races to support a 16-year-old girl whose extraordinary visions hold the key to humanity’s salvation as they navigate a web of deception, spiritual awakening, and cosmic peril while pursued by dark forces.
Production just wrapped.
Laundry
Premiere: TIFF Discovery
Sales Rep: Summerside (Kate Middleton’s April Flowers)
Synopsis:
In apartheid South Africa, a young man’s aspirations as a musician clash with preserving his family’s laundry business amid intensifying racial discrimination against Black entrepreneurs.
Mini Tidbit:
Former VP at Voltage Pictures (Wind River), Danielle Gasher, is announcing the goals of her newly launched Vaneast (Hellhound), a sales and production firm present at AFM. The plan is to acquire a minimum of ten acquisition titles per year, with up to five in-house productions.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Charlie Schwan, a Texas-born horror filmmaker, has now begun development to expand his SXSW-winning short, Harvester, into a feature. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (Dir: Black Phone 2) will produce through their company, Crooked Highway.
Texas-born and a UT Austin alum, Schwan premiered his first short at Tribeca in 2018 and later delivered festival entries Death Snot and Mr. Sunshine. He’s the real deal and his shorts are capital S scary.
You can still check out his short films here.
Amazon’s Merchants of Joy is a Christmas doc with a lot of heart. Premiering at DOC NYC, the film follows five families in NYC that make up for the lion’s share of Christmas trees sold on the street.
Each has a pretty eccentric personality (as hustling to sell trees to passersby for decades will do to you). But my favorite moment in the piece came when one of the vendors finds a homeless man sleeping in their supply shed and shows them the grace of a saint.
Directed by Celia Aniskovich (HBO’s Call Me Miss Cleo). Releasing Dec 1. Trailer.
Sharknado returns with…
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