Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Reservoir Dogs, Cuckoo’s Nests, and Italian Grace.
Let’s go!
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is being adapted into a series.
Dune: Messiah starts filming.
Warner Bros. cuts budget of Tom Cruise/Doug Liman’s Deeper.
Reservoir Dogs star Michael Madsen dies at 67.
Nip/Tuck actor Julian McMahon dies at 56.
Chris Witaske (The Bear) joins Netflix’s Free Bert.
Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia will open Venice Film Festival.
Cannes Official Selection, Eagles of the Republic picked up by Curzon.
Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 announced by Netflix.
Ghost in the Shell reboot coming from Science Saru.
Michel Franco’s Dreams stars Jessica Chastain as a patron obsessed with a ballet prodigy.
Dakota Johnson’s directorial feature debut follows a young woman with autism.
Mark Snow, legendary X-Files composer, dies at 78.
Trifole picked up by Cohen Media Group.
Lux Vide CEO Luca Bernabei steps down. Fremantle now owns 100%.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Series adaptations of classic movies are on the rise. Here’s the newest hoping to hit it big on the small screen:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest series
Prod: Paul Zaentz (AP: The English Patient, Co-P: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Uncle: Saul Zaentz, producer of the OG Cuckoo’s Nest)
Paul controls the rights after buying his uncle’s film library
Studio: None
Synopsis:
Following the events of the first film, the spinoff series follows Chief Bromden after he escapes from the mental institution (clip).
The original Cuckoo’s book was told from the Chief’s POV, so this might be a ripe adaptation.
Another series… David W. Zucker, CCO of Ridley Scott’s prod co, says:
“We are looking at a number of different [Ridley and Tony Scott movie titles] right now”
None are named yet, but I would love a Matchstick Men (2003) series.
In that Ridley Scott film, Nicolas Cage played a debilitating low-life criminal/con artist mastermind with OCD. It’s the type of character that has scope for expansion, and audiences love to see flawed specialists (e.g., Dr. House). Plus, we’d love to see Sam Rockwell back on TV (Matchstick Men trailer).
Bottom line, everyone is trying to have a hit like FX’s Fargo (5 seasons running 2014-2024), garnering 7 Emmy Wins and 70 nominations. Or NBC’s Hannibal (2013–2015). While both are tremendous, they don’t come close to besting the originals.
Upcoming production dates:
Dune: Messiah
Production begins today
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, and Anya Taylor-Joy
Dir: Denis Villeneuve
Studio: Warner Bros.
Synopsis:
It follows Muad'dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens.
Deeper
Potential Production date: August
Cast: Tom Cruise, Ana de Armas
Dir: Doug Liman
Wri: Max Landis (Chronicle, Bright)
Re-Wri: Christopher McQuarrie
Budget $275M (original)
Warner Bros.’s counteroffer on budget: $235M
Synopsis:
A deep-sea dive turns into an unexpected psychological exploration for a former astronaut who signed up for the mission.
Werwulf
Potential Production date: September
Dir: Robert Eggers
Studio: Focus Features
Genre: 13th Century Werewolf Thriller
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
A bruiser with a poet’s soul. Michael Madsen, the gravel-voiced actor immortalized as “Mr. Blonde” in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, has passed away at 67.
With humble beginnings, from working as a gas station attendant to now over 300 credits to his name, he soon became Hollywood’s ultimate tough guy. He was a staple in many Tarantino films like:
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Played the sadistic Vic Vega (Mr. Blonde), who could forget the torturous “ear-cutting” scene
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2 (2003-2004)
Played Budd the broken and somber brother to David Carradine’s villainous Bill (scene)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Played Joe Gage, a mysterious gangster cowboy who acts as a secret antagonist for the majority of the film (his introductory scene writing his “life story”)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Played fictional Sheriff Hackett opposite DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton
Even outside of Tarantino projects, Madsen carved out a niche for himself, often playing brooding and menacing characters that had a hint of emotional depth.
He portrayed Susan Sarandon’s sweet but troubled boyfriend in Thelma & Louise (1991) and played the slick Sonny Black in the mafia movie Donnie Brasco (1997). In this scene, Black is threatening a young Johnny Depp over what's really going on with his supposed ally, the veteran but contentious mobster Lefty (played by Al Pacino).
A number of filmmakers and actors have posted tributes, including his younger sister, the Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen (Sideways,) who wrote a heartfelt message saying:
“He was thunder and velvet. Mischief wrapped in tenderness. A poet disguised as an outlaw. I’ll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I’ll miss the boy he was before the legend.”
The world got a little less gritty, but Madsen’s legacy will live on.
Julian McMahon, an Australian actor known for starring in FX’s Nip/Tuck and WB’s Charmed, has died at 56 after battling cancer.
McMahon’s breakout role on Charmed (2000-2003) saw him play a suave half-demon, half-human who grew more and more unhinged as the series continued (clip).
But his real charm was that of the playboy plastic surgeon on Nip/Tuck (2003-2010), whose pick-up line was often his business card (opening clip), and whose seductive energy was like a heated missile.
One of his most chilling Nip/Tuck scenes—where his character Christian Troy learns he may have breast cancer—turned the show’s glossy facade into something devastatingly human, and cemented McMahon’s ability to pivot from seduction to vulnerability in a single beat.
Recently, McMahon co-starred in the Cannes Official Selection, The Surfer, alongside Nicolas Cage (clip).
He also played Dr. Doom (clip) in the early 2000s Fantastic Four. His decades-long career spanned soaps, primetime TV, and film.
Tidbit:
The Bear’s Chris Witaske was just cast in comedian Bert Kreishcher’s new Netflix comedy series Free Bert. It’s great casting, considering his character in the acclaimed FX drama as Sugar’s goofy husband, Pete, is consistently one of the only sources of comedic relief (scene). Filming for Free Bert is set to begin this month.
FESTIVALS
Paolo Sorrentino's new film, La Grazia, will open the Venice Film Festival. Mubi has worldwide rights, minus Italy.
Sorrentino is a master of mesmerizing, ethereal, and thoughtful cinema.
La Grazia razor-thin plot details:
A love story set somewhere in Italy.
That description could apply to most of Sorrentino’s films:
The Great Beauty (2013)
Academy Awards, Best International Feature
Youth (2015)
Official selection, Cannes
The Young Pope (2016)
Premiere: HBO
Parthenope (2025)
Official selection, Cannes
Toni Servillo will star in La Grazia. He played the poetically self-indulgent yet eternally lost soul who starred in The Great Beauty.
La Grazia premieres at Venice August 27.
Curzon (Parasite, Flow, Triangle of Sadness) has picked up Cannes Official Selection Eagles of the Republic for UK/Irish distribution.
Synopsis:
Egypt's most adored actor, George Fahmy, falls into disgrace with the authorities overnight. On the verge of losing everything, George is forced to accept an offer he can't refuse.
The film is a fascinating political satire. Clip.
Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s spiritual, mystical, The Anatomy of the Horses, is picked up by international sales rep Loco Films (Borders of Love). The film follows an 18th-century Indigenous Andean whose spirit world crosses into the present when a meteorite strikes (trailer).
Forgive me, I am going to weeb out for a second: Anime Expo in LA brought a lot of promising, well Anime, from feature lengths to new shows, here are our top 3:
Japanese animation studio MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man The Movie Reze Arc:
Super popular manga, turned into an equally as popular anime, is doing something a little different for its season 2. Releasing this mini-arc is a feature-length movie, which has already garnered a 97% on RT. Chainsaw Man is an awesome, gory deconstruction of Shonen; the protagonist is an idiot with a heart of gold who can transform his head into a chainsaw and whose only goal is to get a girlfriend. It's also incredibly funny and has way more heart than you'd expect from the premise.
Netflix’s Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2:
The anime adaptation that saved a franchise is getting a season 2. Following new characters since spoilers: Night City can be cruel. Animated by studio Trigger, the first season was so popular that player counts on Cyberpunk ramped up to 1 million and have stayed high ever since.
Science Saru’s Ghost in the Shell:
The ultra-popular anime is getting a redo. Hopefully, it can capture the original '90s flair and wash out the taste of the weird Scarlett Johansson live-action misfire.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Michel Franco’s Dreams drops a trailer.
The film premiered in Berlin and follows a wealthy patron of the arts, Jessica Chastain, who forms a devouringly corporeal yet illicit relationship with a prodigy ballet dancer she brings from Mexico.
In anyone else’s hands, this would easily play like a soap opera. But Chastain recently starred in Franco’s cripplingly beautiful Memory (2023) and the two have developed a shorthand for creating evocative performances.
There’s no one better working today than Franco, who can use narrative to skewer the rich, the poor, the social institutions that surround them, and every facet of human weakness.
His films are visually poetic and should not be missed. Start with New Order (2020), but take a deep breath.
Mark Snow, Emmy-nominated composer best known for The X-Files theme, has died at 78. Snow scored the series and its 1998 film, Blue Bloods, Smallville, Ghost Whisperer, and many TV movies, earning 15 Emmy nominations throughout his career.
The X-Files theme is incredibly distinct, relying on synths and artificial whistles to propel the mystery forward.
Cohen Media Group (US Distributor: Io Capitano) picks up US distribution rights for Trifole.
The film follows a young woman who reconnects with her grandfather in rural Italy. He’s a cantankerous truffle hunter, reticent to share his secrets. The trailer is visually sumptuous with the added bonus of a very adorable dog.
Releasing sometime this year.
For their part, Cohen Media Group is great at picking up Italian films for US release. Io Capitano (2023) which they picked up after it won 2nd place at Venice, garnered an Oscar nom for the film.
Tidbits:
“I won’t let anybody else do it.” Dakota Johnson is gearing up to shoot her feature directorial debut, a very personal project she’s developing alongside her Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022) co-star Vanessa Burghardt. The film is reportedly about a young woman with Autism.
Tim Burton confirms he’s developing a new animated feature, returning to his creative roots. No info on the plot but this will be his first animated movie since 2012's Frankenweenie.
Drag queen makes her directorial debut, helming a biopic based on Who Does That Bitch Think She Is?, chronicling the making of the cult drag sci-fi film Vegas in Space (trailer) and the life of visionary drag queen Doris Fish.
Fantasia Festivals Foreigner, which centers on a Persian high-schooler who is berated by the popular clique (who look like extras in Smile) for being a foreigner. Of course, they try to make her look more like them, and things get a little crazy (trailer). Genre label Raven Banner (The Pizzagate Massacre) has picked up worldwide sales and distribution rights.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Italian TV production house Lux Vide (Netflix’s Medici, Prime Video’s Leonardo) lost its CEO Luca Bernabei, who is stepping down after over three decades with the company. This news comes just after super-indie Fremantle upped its stake from 70% to 100%. Bernabei’s sister Matilde, who also co-founded the company, will become Lux Vide’s new president.
Paul Zaentz (prod: The English Patient) has boarded the adaptation of Luke Barr’s nonfiction culinary novel Provence, 1970, which is getting adapted into a film by director Devin Adair (Grace). Set during Christmas in 1970s France, the novel follows six acclaimed culinary figures who cooked, ate, and discussed the future of food in the US, the meaning of taste, and the limits of snobbery. Shooting on location in France.
Upcoming socially-driven drama The Numbered Women from rising filmmaker Lam Can-zhao (Cannes’ short A Bright Sunny Day) casts acclaimed Chinese actress Lyric Lan. The film will follow two marginalized women - a Chinese van driver (Lan) and a Vietnamese massage worker - whose lives briefly intersect in a remote town. Production kicks off in August.
Renewals:
Netflix’s Criminal Code (for 3rd Season)
Season 2 trailer
ON THIS DAY
1939. The Rules of the Game premieres in Paris.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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