Scarlett Johansson and Tom Cruise
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
In The Industry News: Scarlett Johansson’s latest. Tom Cruise’s newest. Shogun 3.0 and Blade.
Actor Spotlight: Adrien Brody is brutal. Jimmy O. Yang’s Chinatown.
Festivals: Shout!’s Holy Grail.
Indie Filmmaker Spotlight/International News: Colman Domingo’s debut. A24’s Primetime. Mike Leigh’s DP.
Let’s go!
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
In a high-end screen deal and publishing auction, The Girl in the Lake has been acquired by Amazon MGM and producer and former Netflix Chairman Scott Stuber’s United Artists to adapt into a mystery thriller feature. The proposed novel by bestselling author Lauren Oliver is keeping its plot under wraps but is eying Scarlett Johansson, who is already attached to produce with her These Pictures, to star in its lead role.
Before lending her pen to adult dramas, Oliver first gained major recognition for her YA novel Panic published a decade ago that was more recently turned into a series by Amazon Studios in 2021.
Being described as What Lies Beneath meets The Sixth Sense, The Girl in the Lake reunites Stuber with Johansson having previously worked together on the critically acclaimed films Marriage Story (2019) and In Good Company (2004).
Little is known as of yet, but given the track record of Stuber, Johansson, and Oliver it seems like it could be a very promising feature.
Shogun’s co-creator Justin Marks has signed a new overall deal with FX to develop additional new content as well as two future seasons of the captivating war series.
FX Entertainment President Gina Balia shared:
“He is a gifted storyteller who is tireless in his commitment to doing the best possible work. His dedication is in every frame of Shogun and we are delighted to be continuing our relationship with him as we forge new stories to share with the world.”
There have been few award show sweeps in the past as monumental as Hulu and FX’s Japanese historical drama, Shogun, but after its undeniable success securing 18 Emmy wins (among other accolades), we were all asking the same question, why wouldn’t you keep it going?
Marks previously co-wrote the longtime coming, $1.5 B making sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and the nearly as successful live-action Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016).
Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, Shogun, the series is extremely high quality and, while set in an overall dark and extremely strict environment, is able to balance a lightheartedness carried by an expansive cast of both weirdly charming, unpredictable yet complex characters focused on story building and painting a universe in a way I can only compare to a Game of Thrones like series.
Premiering this past February, you can watch all ten episodes of Shōgun on Hulu now.
There's only one Blade & “There's only ever gonna be one Blade”: When Marvel fans heard that biting 4th wall break, they immediately got nervous for Disney's planned Reboot of the beloved franchise. Blade has now appears to have been completely wiped off of Disney's proposed slate of films.
There have been rumors of all sorts of problems and multiple delays, and it has reportedly been through at least six screenwriters. The script was apparently a huge sticking point for the film’s star, Mahershala Ali, with rumors that one creative direction would make Blade the support in his own film.
Last we heard, Blade would be arriving sometime in 2026, but even that sounded iffy.
Now, perhaps even mercifully, it will be replaced with a new Predator:Badlands film, taking its original 2025 release date.
Now if you want to see Mahershala in something soon (who wouldn't? He was incredible in Moonlight and True Detective), he is reportedly starring opposite Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth.
Now, has Blade been given the whole stake through the heart treatment?
We don't really know, but with Sinners and Nosferatu on the way, Vampire films are very much in the public zeitgeist.
Just look at the Blacklist there are some pretty promising entries that explore the genre.
Is Blade gone forever? Almost certainly not. Is Mahershala done with Blade? Well that's a different story. Things might look dire for the series at the moment, but if I know anything about the fang-ed formally mortal, they have a way of rising up from the dead. Also… like… money.
Tidbit:
Tom Cruise’s newest film with Alejandro Iñárritu (Dir: The Revenant) is shooting soon, as early as November. Read our full cover story about the project:
https://theindustry.co/p/tom-cruise-destroys-everything
Greg Mottola (Dir: Superbad) will direct and EP the first two episodes of The Miniature Wife, a Peacock comedy starring Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen. Based on Manuel Gonzalez’s short story, the show explores marital power dynamics after a sci-fi mishap. Created by Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner, it received a straight-to-series order.
Richard Stanley (Dir: Colour Out of Space starring Nicolas Cage) dips back into Lovecraftian horror and is set to direct The Dunwich Horror, part of his planned H.P. Lovecraft trilogy. Production begins in June 2025, with Ace Pictures (Colour Out of Space) backing the project. The film will be split into two parts, allowing a more detailed exploration of Lovecraft’s eerie tale.
No distributor yet.
Renewals:
CBS’s Matlock (Season 2)
New TV show season trailers:
Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters (Season 2)
Paramount+’s Yellowstone (Season 5B)
Lynda Obst has passed away at 74. Her long list of prestigious producing credits include:
The Fisher King (producer)
Sleepless In Seattle (EP)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (producer)
Interstellar (producer)
Obst kicked off her career producing in 1989 with Nora Ephron’s directorial debut.
Her brother, Rick Rosen, stated:
“She was a trailblazer for women in the industry at a time when it was very difficult for women to have prominent roles. She was passionate about her work but even more passionate about her family.”
She will be missed.
Hans Zimmer Dune 2 score won’t be eligible for the Oscar because the Acadamy limits the amount of pre-existing score that can be used to 20%.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
A24’s The Brutalist gives a first look at Adrien Brody as both brutal and brutalized in his depiction of a Hungarian immigrant who comes to America to try his hand at living life without persecution. He is an architect and an idealist whose nobility is paramount to his soul.
I’ve seen the film and absolutely loved every inch of it. I’ll have more to share when we get closer to the release date in late December.
For now, feast on the trailer. This is ranking very high in Oscar buzz.
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Interior Chinatown looks like a ton of fun. Based on showrunner Charles Yu's novel. Hulu’s limited series will premiere all 10 episodes on Nov 10th.
The meta-leaning show follows Willis Wu (Jimmy O. Yang), a background character in a police procedural called "Black & White", who dreams of becoming the lead in his own story. After witnessing a crime, Willis unravels a Chinatown criminal web while uncovering his family’s hidden history.
The cast includes Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, and Diana Lin.
Jimmy O. Yang has always been a very funny actor who leaned into a character made famous by his portrayal of Jian-Yang in Silicon Valley, who was deliriously cynical and hilariously cruel (Clips), some fans of the show were pretty shocked when, during his stand up when he revealed his normal voice and relaxed demeanor. It seems like Yang will be playing it straight as Willis, and the double-layered narrative of a show within a show lends to some reality-breaking fun (such as everyone knowing Kung Fu). A welcome surprise, Taika Waititi (dir: What We Do in the Shadows, Jojo Rabbit) directed the pilot.
Check out the trailer here.
Get ready to binge it all on November 10th.
Tidbit:
Republic Pictures has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Alex Winter's Adulthood, a darkly comic, modern-noir film in which the Bill & Ted actor serves as director and stars. The film also stars Josh Gad, Kaya Scodelario, Billie Lourd, and Anthony Carrigan and follows siblings entangled in crime after discovering a buried body. Olive Hill Media and Fresh Fish Films produced the film.
FESTIVALS
MIPCOM is continuing at a fast and furious pace. This is the annual trade show for the TV industry held in Cannes.
Amongst the top projects/deals:
Yellowstone, Billions, Bob Marley: One Love, Transformers series, Mission: Impossible series
Seller: Paramount Global Content Distribution
Buyer: beIn Media Group (Qatari-owned) for Middle East and North Africa
Terms: English movies/shows, Arabic subtitles
Additional Buyers: Streamz (Belgium), MultiChoice (Africa), JioCinema (India)
Nightsleeper (BBC)
Seller: Fremantle
Buyer: M-Net (Africa) VRT (Belgium), Movistar Plus+ (Spain), SVT (Sweden), Stan (Australia), Universal+ (Latin America) and 18 other countries
Buyer: Hulu (US rights)
Seller: All3Media International
Hulu Release date: Later this year
Sherlock, Luther, Misfits, The North Water and Extras
Buyer: Warner Bros Discovery’s French
Seller: BBC
Prod: Shaftesbury (Murdoch Mysteries)
Cast: Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver, Hamza Haq
Creator: Graeme Stewart
Seller: Fifth Season
Buyer: Not yet
Current platform: Canada’s Crave
Slumdog Millionaire
Buyer: Pathé
Seller: Celador Films
Also: Shout! Studios, distributor: Labyrinth (1986), has acquired the Holy Grail. They’ve literally scored the distribution rights for:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974)
Garson Foos, CEO of Shout! stated:
“Iconic and iconoclastic, Monty Python has long been at the top of that list [for best entertainment]. We are fans first and foremost, and the timeless quality of the brand lends itself to a wide range of opportunities.”
The seller is Mercury Studios Media Limited. No word yet when this is coming to Shout! TV.
MICPOM runs through October 24th. Check out the festival here.
Tidbit:
AFM isn’t until November 5th, but we already have a project set to launch, O.T.H.E.R.
Here’s the synopsis:
Alice reluctantly returns to her childhood home after the sudden death of her estranged mother, only to discover the house — eerily frozen in time — hides a sinister secret: a high-tech surveillance system tracks her every move as a dark presence lurks in the shadows, driving her toward a terrifying revelation.
Sounds pretty cool. Voltage Pictures (sales rep: Reagan, Knock Knock) has taken global rights. The film stars Quantum of Solace’s Olga Kurylenko.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Colman Domingo is making his directorial debut in Scandalous unless you count his character in Sing Sing backseat-directing the prison theater troupe.
Here’s the synopsis:
The clandestine love affair between film star Kim Novak and singer/dancer and film star Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957.
And as actors who turn to directing often do, Domingo has a great cast going. Sydney Sweeney will star as Novak and David Jonsson, who was the best part of Alien: Romulus, will play Davis Jr.
If that synopsis doesn’t really do it for you, Vanity Fair did a great deep dive into their torrid and forbidden love affair in 1999:
“The feared and hated head of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn, created Kim Novak to be his perfect blonde star, and with her performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, she seemed to have fulfilled his dream.”
The summary continues:
“But, in 1957, she fell in love with Sammy Davis Jr., who, with his immense popularity, was breaking the race barrier of a firmly segregated entertainment industry. Sam Kashber [VF author] chronicles the backlash against their affair, the alleged Mob hit ordered by Cohn which forced Davis to marry black singer Loray White and the heartbreaking coda to the romance that Hollywood forbade.”
Domingo himself is no stranger to stories of oppression.
Domingo was Academy nominated for playing the lead in Rustin, a gay civil rights activist and organizer for Martin Luther King. The trailer showcases his vivacious intelligence and contagious confidence.
But back in 2014, Domingo was lying on the floor of an Equinox after his agent told him Boardwalk Empire passed, not because they didn’t love his audition but because his skin color wasn’t historically accurate to the period.
Domingo was on the verge of quitting the business but instead decided to upskill, taking jobs writing and then starring in his own plays and TV hosting. He explained:
“I know for sure when I’m leading a film like Rustin or being a part of Color Purple, I can actually be a greater contributor and collaborator because I have all these skills. Maybe that’s the thing I’ve learned in my long and winding career: Nothing anyone can give me is better than something I can make myself.”
It’s that steadfast determination that allowed him to back himself. We look forward to his debut, shooting mid-2025. Miramax is producing.
Lance Oppenheim is directing his first narrative feature, Primetime, for A24, with Robert Pattinson in a producer role.
Here’s the synopsis:
A journalist who takes on the underbelly of crime in a unique way and changes television forever.
Oppenheim has had a wild career trajectory. His Sundance official selection, Some Kind of Heaven documentary, was produced by Darren Aronofsky and the NY Times and released when he was only 24.
It focused on a utopian retiree home with four residents finding meaning through drugs, sex, and partying (trailer).
His follow-up was the feature Spermworld, about the Wild West of baby making (online sperm forums)—and recently HBO’s Ren Faire.
Shooting for Primetime kicks off early next year.
Director Mike Leigh’s longtime collaborator and famed cinematographer, Dick Pope, has passed away at the age of 77.
The two-time Oscar nominee had a keen eye for visual storytelling and was a key player in the success of Leigh’s films. Beginning with the textured middle-class family drama Life is Sweet (1990), he marked the start of a life-long creative partnership with Leigh. He went on to shoot the wild and unhinged naked, which had supreme poetic stillness mixed in with kinetic depravity.
Pope was consistent in creating picturesque imagery, revolutionizing the way movies looked; his cinematography could be hung in a museum best showcased in:
Mr. Turner (2014)
A Mike Leigh biopic following the life of English romance painter J.M.W. Turner
The Illusionist (2006)
An unforgettable Neil Burger film just as magical to watch as a viewer as the characters are themselves.
He recently shot Leigh’s latest film, Hard Truths. The use of obtrusive natural sunlight helps illuminate the main character’s fears.
The film community will miss his art greatly.
Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize—Vermiglio and Italy’s official selection for the Oscars will be released by Sideshow and Janus Films on December 25th.
The film, written and directed by Maura Delpero, is set in 1944 in Vermiglio, a remote mountain village. The arrival of Pietro, a deserter, into the family of the local teacher and his love for the teacher's eldest daughter will change the course of everyone's life (Clip).
Tidbit:
Shudder has acquired distribution rights for The Dead Thing, an erotic thriller about a woman who falls in love with a man who harbours a dark secret, this deal happened ahead of its U.S. premiere at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. Directed by Elric Kane, starring Blu Hunt and Ben Smith-Petersen, the film debuts on Shudder on February 14.
ON THIS DAY
1941. Walt Disney's animated film Dumbo was released.
See you tomorrow!
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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