Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Ryan Gosling’s franchise, Sydney Sweeney’s curse and a double dream.
Today’s a big one, and there’s lots of important news, so strap in and let’s go!
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Ryan Gosling in Star Wars.
Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in an untitled Star Wars film directed by Shawn Levy (dir: Deadpool & Wolverine). This would mark a potential career milestone as his first major franchise role. Though he is now definitely more established than he was during his previous upbringing as an indie darling, Gosling hasn't really crossed over into franchise films.
So when rumors of Gosling in talks to lead Levy's new standalone Star Wars film hit my ears, I sensed the force in him. I see it, I like it. However, I'd probably watch Gosling in anything. For instance, he played a powerful silent protagonist in Drive; if you put that in space, I am sure many people, including me, would be up for that.
Gosling’s relaxed brood is something that brings forth a Brando-esque machismo.
Barbie was kind of a surprising role for those who knew him from his Place Beyond the Pines days, but he took that role and made Ken a lovable idiot.
But Gosling is primed for roles set within a big fantasy universe as he exuded a brokenness in Blade Runner 2049 that drew your attention to him in the center of the dilapidatedly poetic scenery.
The untitled Star Wars movie, written by Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project) and developed in 2022, is a standalone project separate from the Skywalker saga and other established Star Wars timelines.
With that promise, we potentially have a way to play with a lot of the lore of the incredible Star Wars world but leave behind the baggage. This could be a big step for Gosling and a bit of a course correction for Disney. I have a good feeling about this.
This not-yet-titled film is rumored to be aiming for a December 2027 release.
For More:
Gosling is a Blade Runner trailer.
OG Gosling in Blue Valentine trailer.
Did you know Ryan Gosling had a band? Clip.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Netflix notches major Q4 wins with its subscriber count eclipsing 300 M.
Cineverse (distributor: Terrifier 3) has picked up Toxic Avenger (prod company: Legendary), a beloved 80’s cult classic remake.
Lee Isaac Chung’s (dir: Minari, Twisters) next film is the Slaughterhouse-Five-esque sci-fi The Traveler for Skydance.
Keith Le Goy is the new chairman of Sony Pictures Television.
Legendary Entertainment (Prod Company: Dune) and Patrick Wachsberger (a former chairman of Lionsgate) unite to form 193, an independent global production and sales venture.
Jules Feiffer, writer of Carnal Knowledge (starring Jack Nicholson), has passed away at 95.
Sydney Sweeney is in talks to star in A24’s Edgar Allen Poe-based horror, The Masque of The Red Death.
Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) is set to join Wife & Dog (dir: Guy Ritchie).
Colman Domingo has joined the cast of Dead Man's Wire, an upcoming drama directed by Gus Van Sant.
Uma Thurman joins Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection. Her character is a Kill Bill throwback.
Berlin Film Festival drops its full competition lineup, including two films called Dreams, one directed by Michel Franco, starring Jessica Chastain.
The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri is stepping away from the kitchen and into the world of an A24 thriller in Opus opposite John Malkovich.
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to One to One: John & Yoko, a documentary directed by Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland).
Apple TV+ Creative Exec Francesca Ricagni is finding a new home with Mediapro Studio (Hard Truths) as U.S. Hispanic Content Chief.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Netflix’s monstrous Q4 earnings upset expectations. Here are their gains and losses. And the comparison to Q4 2023:
$1.87 bn net income
↑ 99.4 %
$10.25 bn revenue
↑ 16%
18.9 M new subscribers
301.6 M total
↑ 15.9%
690K new subs in US/Canada
Their earnings report stated:
“We’re fortunate that we don’t have distractions like managing declining linear networks…we’re in a leadership position in terms of engagement (approximately two hours per paid membership per day).”
That’s Netflix taking potshots at Warner Bros. Discovery, which is currently debating what to do with its linear assets as well as Comcast (e.g., their Spinco).
In an earnings interview, Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, stated that the subscribers who joined for live TV events (e.g., the Jake Paul Fight, NFL live Christmas games, or the Tom Brady roast) stuck around the platform and converted. He also reiterated his commitment to staying out of theatrical (even despite the Greta Gerwig’s Narnia IMAX deal), touting:
“New movies from Oscar winners like Guillermo del Toro, Katheryn Bigelow, Noah Baumbach, the Russo brother's new film Happy Gilmore 2, a new Knives Out film…”
To fund all the new content, Netflix is increasing its prices, and here’s how it's affecting the US:
Standard Plan w/ ads
$6.99 → $7.99
Ad-free standard
$15.49 → $17.99
Premium plans
$22.99 → $24.99
Cineverse (distributor: Terrifier 3) has picked up Toxic Avenger (prod company: Legendary), a beloved 80’s cult classic remake.
The cast is epic, and their visual transformation into looking toxic is wild:
Elijah Wood (Gollum with greased hair photo)
Peter Dinklage (what a ball photo)
Kevin Bacon (mad scientist photo)
Jacob Trembly (looks bad ass photo)
The film has been stewing in limbo after its premiere at at Fantastic Fest in 2023.
Here’s the synopsis:
A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: The Toxic Avenger.
Cineverse is the perfect partner here. They distributed Terrifier 3, which made $88.7 M from a $2.5 M budget. The company’s built-in network of Bloody Disgusting (A dedicated online horror news outlet) and ScreamBox (the #2 horror streaming channel behind Shudder) propelled the film into the zeitgeist with a minuscule $500 K marketing budget.
Not sure what Toxic Avenger is? Here is the trailer for the 1984 cult classic.
From Minari to Twisters to The Traveler. Lee Isaac Chung, director of Minari and Twisters, both focused on the hardships of Midwesterners, has a new film in place: The Traveler for Skydance.
Here’s the loose synopsis:
An intimate family drama that exponentially develops into a vast science fiction odyssey. The novel explores the life of Scott Treder, a 47-year-old biology technician who begins experiencing involuntary jumps through time.
Sounds very similar to Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), which I detailed here:
https://theindustry.co/p/a-brief-history-of-time-travel-films
Interestingly, the latest draft is written by Justin Rhodes (writer: Terminator: Dark Fate), the best post-James Cameron sequel (also detailed in the above essay).
We’re excited to see this come together under Skydance.
Tidbits:
Big promotion over at Sony Pictures Entertainment! Keith Le Goy has acquired the role of chairman for the studio who is now expanding his oversight to lead all of SPE’s domestic and international productions, including the game show business and GSN (Game Show Network). This news comes shortly after the former chairman Ravi Ahuja’s appointment as SPE’s president and CEO.
Legendary Entertainment (Prod Company: Dune) and Patrick Wachsberger (producer: CODA, former chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group) unite to form 193, an independent global production and sales venture. Led by Wachsberger as CEO, 193 will develop, produce, finance, and distribute top-tier films worldwide, harnessing Legendary’s marketing expertise to meet the growing demand for high-quality independent storytelling.
Warner Bros. has announced the release of Kickboxer: Armageddon, a surprise sequel in the Kickboxer franchise that brought Jean Claude Van Damme to the spotlight. The original spawned four sequels and a reboot in 2016 with the latest being 2018's Kickboxer: Retaliation. The film is set to premiere in theaters nationwide on March 15, 2025.
John Ridley (EP/Writer: 12 Years a Slave) is developing an Isaac Asimov novel for 20th Century Studios, The Caves of Steel.
Here is the synopsis:
Earth is overpopulated and humans live in vast enclosed cities. Detective Elijah Baley is tasked with solving a murder mystery that leads him to confront deep-seated prejudices against the robot population.
Ridley serves as co-writer and director. No word on shoot dates.
Mini Tidbit:
Col Needham (Founder: IMDB) is stepping down from the CEO role. He started the company in 1990 and sold it to Amazon in 1998. Apparently, he got some early shares.
Get ready for Oscar nominations on Thursday. Rachel Sennott (Bodies Bodies Bodies) and Bowen Yang (SNL) will announce.
Jules Feiffer, writer of Carnal Knowledge, starring Art Garfunkel and Jack Nicholson, directed by Mike Nichols, has passed away at 95. Legendary screenwriting author Robert Mckee praised the writing of Nicholson’s character:
“He thinks he’s hunting for the perfect woman, but we know that unconsciously, he wants to degrade and destroy women, and he has done that throughout his life. Jules Feiffer’s screenplay is a chilling delineation of a man that too many women know only too well.”
Check out the restored 4K trailer.
New York’s governor proposes raising the amount of money available to indie films through tax incentives to $100 M. Full budget here.
Renewals:
Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 4)
ABC’s High Potential (Season 2)
ABC’s Abbott Elementary (Season 5)
Release dates:
HBO’s Harry Potter series (due: 2026)
Paramount’s Sonic 4 (due: Spring 2027)
A24’s Warfare (Due: April 11)
Variance Film’s Seven Veils (Due: March 7th)
Trailer w/ Amanda Seyfried
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Sydney Sweeney may be taking on another horror role. The Immaculate actress is in talks to star in The Masque of The Red Death. And I’m already salivating over the font choice.
The film is based on the terrifying short story by Edgar Allen Poe (4pg story here). Here’s my synopsis after reading:
A ruler of a land beset by a horrid disease called The Red Plague takes his remaining citizens into a quarantined palace away from death. After five months, he decides to throw a masked party (major Eyes Wide Shut vibes), which is merry until an unknown man enters who may be Death himself.
Apparently, the adaptation is supposed to be: a wildly revisionist and darkly comedic take.
The team is fantastic:
Dir/Wri: Charlie Polinger (2025’s upcoming The Plague starring Joel Edgerton)
Prod Company: A24
If Sweeney takes the part, it’ll be a perfect pairing to her performance in Immaculate (trailer) where she played a righteous nun who falls into a bloody Rosemary’s Baby-esque plot. She has a soft innocence that is gut-wrenching when corrupted.
Shooting is said to kick off this year.
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Tidbits:
Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) is set to join Wife & Dog (dir: Guy Ritchie). Jarvis is magnetic in all his roles - don’t sleep on Funny Face (2020) or Calm with Horses (2019), where he can be seen stealing scenes from Barry Keoghan with his calm but brooding violence (trailer). No word on the plot, but Jarvis will play Rosamund Pike’s sister and Anthony Hopkins’ son. Benedict Cumberbatch also stars. No word on release date.
Colman Domingo has joined the cast of Dead Man's Wire, an upcoming drama directed by Gus Van Sant. The film tells the true story of Tony Kiritsis's 1970s kidnapping of his bank mortgager and the twisted steel wire boobie trap that was used. Domingo will portray Fred Heckman, a radio broadcaster Kristis (Bill Skarsgard) calls during the hostage situation. Principal photography began in Louisville, Kentucky.
Doomsday actress Rhona Mitra joins Debriefing the President, a TNT four-hour miniseries opposite Joel Kinnaman (For All Mankind). Debriefing the President explores a CIA analyst’s relentless search for truth, the complexities of justice on the global stage, and the deeply personal father-son connections woven into a turbulent period of history. The series is the first greenlit scripted show since the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger in 2022. The British actress’ Debriefing the President is currently in pre-production and is expected to premiere later this year.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star Tom Blyth is joining play to film adaptation The Cry of the Guards from screenwriter Claire Denis. Taking place in a single night in Senegal, the film will be based on Maris Koltes’ play Black Battles with Dogs, which ran all over the world for over three years.
Uma Thurman is on a winning streak. She’s joining Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection as a series regular.
Here’s Thurman’s character description for Dexter:
Head of Security for a mysterious billionaire. A former Special Ops officer, worked various high-level private security jobs before taking on her position as the resourceful and meticulous right-hand woman.
Seems like this role might be employing some of her Kill Bill skills. I enjoyed her very much in the recent Oh, Canada. Read my interview director, Paul Schrader, here:
https://theindustry.co/p/paul-schrader-myth-and-mortality
Mini Tidbit:
Theo Rossi the brilliantly odd prison psychologist in The Penguin, is co-starring in The Saviors (starring: Adam Scott, Danielle Deadwyler and Ron Perlman).
Dylan O’Brien (Dan Aykroyd in Saturday Night) joins Send Help (dir: Sam Raimi, star: Rachel McAdams). It's a horror film about a plane crash for 20th Century.
Listen up, American Pie fans, Seann William Scott is guest starring in The Righteous Gemstones Season 4.
FESTIVALS
Berlin Film Festival drops its full competition lineup. There are some really exciting films this year, including Linklater’s Blue Moon (first look still above) - announced yesterday.
There are two films named Dreams:
Dir/Wri/Prod:Editor: Michel Franco
Star: Jessica Chastain
Synopsis:
Romance blossoms between a wealthy socialite and a Mexican ballet dancer, intertwining their contrasting lives and cultures.
Why we love it: Cannes prize winner Franco pairs up with Chastain again after their cripplingly beautiful Memory (2023).
Dir: Jan Dag Haugerud (Sex)
Synopsis:
Johanne documents her intense crush on her french teacher. Her mother, grandmother end up reading these intimate writings. They're both horrified by the contents but taken by the powerful writing and story. Johanne navigates romantic ideals vs reality, exploring emotions of self-discovery, love, sexuality.
Why we love it: Haugerud, who won Berlin over with his film Sex, completes his Sex, Love, Dreams trilogy.
Other exciting titles:
What Does That Nature Say to You
Dir: Hong Sang-Soo (A Traveler's Needs), 4x Silver Bear winner
Continental ‘25’
Dir: Radu Jude (Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World)
But above all else, one has me captivated:
The Ice Tower (2025), which stars Marion Cotillard and director Gaspar Noé. Here’s the synopsis:
Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot for a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star, Cristina, an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.
Here’s Cotillard as the queen (icy first look still).
Berlin runs Thu, Feb 13th - Feb 23rd. Check out the full line-up here.
Tidbit:
France’s mk2 Films (Anatomy of a Fall) has boarded The Safe House (La Cache), Lionel Baier’s official 2026 Berlin Competition selection. The Swiss director’s comedy drama is about a boy growing up in a family of artists in 1968 who discovers a hidden secret dating back to WWII. The Safe House is adapted from Christophe Boltanski’s 2017 novel of the same name.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri is stepping away from the kitchen and into the world of A24 thriller in Opus opposite John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich) in the feature directorial debut from Mark Anthony Green ahead of its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan.27th.
Synopsis:
A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.
The newly dropped trailer is reminiscent of the studio’s Pride and Joy Midsommar (2019), which also dabbled into the world of cult fandom, while the film also appears to align with several other movies released in recent years that have followed a middle-class “normal person” thrown into the famous and wealthy’s secretive world of corruption and manipulation (i.e. Blink Twice, The Menu).
Newcomer writer-director Green's only previous directing work is the 2017 comedy short Trapeze, U.S.A. Collin Creighton is producing, which spells good news as he served as Director, Original Film at Netflix, overseeing Okja (2017) and The Irishman (2019).
Edebiri and Malkovich star alongside Juliette Lewis (August: Osage County) and Murray Bartlett (The Last of Us) in Opus hitting theaters everywhere on March 14th.
Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to One to One: John & Yoko, a documentary directed by Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland). The film will delve into one of RocknRoll's most divisive and well-known couples, John Lennon of The Beatles and his second wife, Yoko Ono, focusing on a transformative 18 months the duo spent in New York, including their Bed-in where they protested for peace by staying in bed for a week flanked by press. Featuring never-before-seen material and restored footage of Lennon’s post-Beatles concert, and features a meticulous recreation of their Greenwich Village apartment to immerse viewers in the era. Premiering at Venice and Telluride before Sundance, it will release exclusively in IMAX on April 11, 2025, followed by a wider theatrical run and an HBO/Max debut later that year.
Apple TV+ Creative Exec Francesca Ricagni is finding a new home with Mediapro Studio (Hard Truths, Official Competition) as U.S. Hispanic Content Chief. At Apple, she played a key role in projects like last year’s drama Land of Women. At Mediapro, she will be responsible for overseeing the creation and production of content for Spanish-language television channels, operators, and streaming platforms in North America.
ON THIS DAY
2010. Conan O'Brien's last The Tonight Show episode.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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Ryan Gosling in Star Wars…AWESOME!! ❤️❤️