Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Sylvester Stallone, Mark Wahlberg, and a Chocolate War.
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THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Amazon MGM renews a multi-year first-look film/TV deal with Sylvester Stallone.
Mark Wahlberg + Riz Ahmed will headline Netflix/Chernin’s The Big Fix.
James Gunn and DCU’s The Brave and the Bold hire Christina Hodson to write.
Jamie Lee Curtis will lead Universal’s feature take on Murder, She Wrote.
Elizabeth Banks’ Brownstone will produce Beta.
Peacock lines up The Astrology House adaptation with Christina Ricci.
Prime Video orders football docuseries The Object of the Game.
Lionsgate develops a The Crown-style drama series with Manchester United.
Kristen Bell returns to host the 2026 Actor Awards.
AGC Studios promotes Zach Garrett to Head of Film.
Bruce Bilson (dir: Get Smart) dies at 97.
Sydney Sweeney will star in StudioCanal’s adaptation The Custom of the Country.
Mila Kunis to lead Nightwatching, a winter-storm home-invasion thriller.
Hamnet breakout Bodhi Rae Breathnach joins Robert Eggers’ Werwulf.
Prime Video’s God of War adds Max Parker as Heimdall.
Red, White & Royal Blue sequel brings back Uma Thurman, Nicholas Galitzine.
Searchlight TV is making a three-part Hulu doc on Sundance.
Blumhouse/Atomic Monster hires Shudder’s Sam Zimmerman as SVP of Dev.
BritBox nears a greenlight on period drama Chocolate Wars.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Amazon MGM Studios is keeping the gloves on and the punches coming.
They’ve renewed their first-look film and television deal with Balboa Productions, the producing arm of Sylvester ‘Sly’ Stallone, aligning Stallone’s film and TV output under one studio.
The multi-year pact comes as Rocky approaches its 50th anniversary in 2026, with new projects planned to extend the franchise’s legacy. The previous first-look deal ran for about three years, bringing with it Creed III and multiple other streaming shows.
Turning 80 this year, Stallone, with a production deal many would kill for, Sly still ain't no bum.
Mark Wahlberg is set to headline Netflix and Chernin Entertainment’s globe-trotting thriller The Big Fix, reuniting him with director Baltasar Kormákur for the first time since Two Guns.
Wahlberg will star opposite Riz Ahmed, with Wahlberg playing one side of a high-stakes cat-and-mouse story inspired by a true international match-fixing scandal tied to global football.
Wahlberg’s brash physicality vs. Ahmed’s cerebral restraint. Seeing the two men’s acting styles collide is enough to take a look.
Currently in production.
James Gunn is moving forward with DCU’s The Brave and the Bold despite Matt Reeves’ Batman sequel entering production. Hiring a writer well-versed in the DC lore, Christina Hodson (Batgirl, The Flash).
Gunn seemed like he was reversing his plan to let Reeves finish his trilogy before starting work on yet another adaptation of Batman. But most likely, the pending Netflix merger complicated things and added a bit of a financial incentive, and as many past reboots of the cape crusader as there are, the guy still prints money.
Tidbits:
Oscar-winning Jamie Lee Curtis teams up with Universal. She will step into Angela Lansbury’s iconic role in Universal’s feature adaptation of the classic TV series Murder, She Wrote. From Pitch Perfect (2012) director Jason Moore, the film is being produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller under Lord Miller’s (Project Hail Mary) first-look deal with Universal.
Elizabeth Banks (Skincare) is continuing her work behind the camera, set to produce Beta, a film centered on college sorority rush culture, through her Brownstone Productions. Banks is partially credited in reigniting the “campus genre” with the $600M+ grossing Pitch Perfect franchise and has since gone on to produce a number of high-profile projects like Orion Pictures’ Bottoms (2023). They have a first-look deal with Universal Pictures and Universal TV.
Peacock is prioritizing the book adaptation game with The Astrology House, with Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets, Buffalo ‘66) attached to star and EP. Based on a novel of the same name by Carinn Jade, conflict unfolds at a girls’ weekend away at an astrology retreat. Peacock has seen a lot of recent success with their acclaimed miniseries Long Bright River and All Her Fault, and The Astrology House could potentially continue this pattern.
Prime Video loves a good sports doc! The Object of the Game (trailer) is a three-part docuseries exploring the demands of the sport with features from football legends Bill Belichick, Tony Romo, Mike Tomlin, and more. From Zodiac Features (Lovely Jackson), the production is directed by Matt Waldeck (I See You). The Object of the Game is the newest in a series of original football-centered documentaries from Prime Video, like The Money Game: LSU (2024) and Kelce (2022).
Mini Tidbits:
Lionsgate is developing a Crown-style drama series with Manchester United, covering decades of club history. If it gets produced, there is an estimated 7-figure guarantee for Manchester.
Kristen Bell isn’t going anywhere. The Nobody Wants This actress is sticking with Netflix, set to host the 2026 Actor Awards (fka SAG Awards). After being the emcee for the past two years (2025 opening song), Bell is returning to host the third broadcast of the ceremony, streaming live on Netflix, on March 1st.
AGC Studios (Hit Man) has promoted VP Zach Garrett to Head of Film. He will continue to manage the company’s upcoming slate development while now also overseeing post-production.
Samsung TV Plus has topped 100 million monthly active users worldwide, driven by a 25% year over year rise in streaming hours.
Veteran producer David Siegel (Crazy, Stupid, Love) has died at 70. Throughout his decades-spanning career, his behind-the-scenes work crossed genres ranging from films like Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025), to Gravity (2013), to The Hangover trilogy.
Bruce Bilson, Emmy-winning director of Get Smart, has died at 97. A UCLA film school pioneer, he directed over 400 TV episodes spanning classic comedies, dramas, and genre series across five decades of television, including Hawaii Five-0, The Flash, and Dinosaurs.
Trailers:
Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe
Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes (Riverdale), Idris Elba
Teaser (For the teaser)
Release: June 25, 2026
Black Bear’s Tuner
Cast: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman
Release: May 26, 2026
Netflix’s The Night Agent Season 3
Cast: Gabriel Basso, Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time)
Release: February 19, 2026
Apple TV+’s For All Mankind Season 5
Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt
Release: March 27, 2026
Paramount+’s Dreaming Whilst Black Season 2
Cast: Adjani Salmon (You Don’t Know Me)
Release: February 20, 2026
First Looks:
The Incomer
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson
Release: TBD
Netflix’s Beef Season 2
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan
Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 3
Cast: Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries
Prime Video’s Invincible Season 4
Cast: Steven Yeun (voice), J.K. Simmons (voice), Lee Pace (Voice)
Release Dates:
Neon’s The Christophers
Cast: Ian McKellen, Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)
Release: April 10, 2026
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone 25th Anniversary
Release: Aug. 27-Sept. 3
Renewals:
Prime’s Legally Blonde prequel series (for S2)
Cancellations:
Netflix’s The Abandons
Netflix’s The Vince Staples Show
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Sydney Sweeney has been cast in a movie adaptation of Edith Wharton’s period drama Custom of the Country for StudioCanal.
She most recently starred in a more modern book adaptation of Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid (trailer), where she played the troubled and easily naive Millie, a young girl posing as a professional housemaid.
In Custom of the Country, she’ll take on a more layered character that is driven by ambition rather than survival, doing whatever it takes to climb the rigid ladder of high society in New York City.
Mila Kunis is diving into Nightwatching, a tense home-invasion thriller from Scott Free Productions (Gladiator) and Fifth Season (Severance).
A “tense and atmospheric thriller”, Kunis will play a mother who, during a relentless winter storm, wakes to an intruder in her home.
Kunis noticeably took some time away from being in front of the camera and just recently reappeared as part of Rian Johnson’s ensemble in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. She played a local police sheriff who, like her new role, had to be constantly alert and on her toes.
Nightwatching is slated to begin filming by the end of this month in LA.
Tidbits:
Hamnet breakout Bodhi Rae Breathnach is joining Robert Eggers’ anticipated Werwulf feature. The Irish-English actress beautifully portrayed William Shakespeare’s (played by Paul Mescal) first child, Susanna, faced with unspeakable tragedy, but trying to remain strong for her family in Chloé Zhao’s masterful Hamnet. In Werwulf, the young actress will star alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe, set to premiere in theaters this Christmas.
French actress Hafsia Herzi (dir. Cannes title The Little Sister) is stepping back in front of the camera for La Foudre (Lightning). Adapted from the 2023 novel by Pierric Bailly, the film traces a toxic love story set in rural France that involves a wrongful murder accusation. While her role is undisclosed, the project will be her biggest onscreen work since her César Award for best actress in crime drama Borgo (2023, trailer).
Netflix is taking a chance on Alix Earle. The on-the-rise influencer turned model is getting her own unscripted series featuring her “modern family” and her vibrant group of Miami-based friends. From risque shows like Temptation Island to the more wholesome Love on the Spectrum, the streamer is beginning to really prioritize its unscripted programming.
Mini Tidbits:
Max Parker (Boots) has joined the cast of Prime Video’s God of War. He will be playing Heimdall, the Norse god of Vigilance. A fairly brutal boss from the second game, this gives a slight peek at how far the series might go.
The sequel to enemies-to-lovers romcom Red, White & Royal Wedding sees the return of its main cast. Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction), along with its leads Nicholas Galitzine (Masters of the Universe) and Taylor Zakhar Perez (Minx), are all reprising their roles from Amazon MGM’s hit Red, White & Royal Blue (2023, trailer) film adaptation.
Coming-of-age drama Northern Lights casts Rosanna Arquette in the small town indie feature. There is no word yet on her role, but the film feels aligned with Arquette’s longtime draw to indie stories. From Cold Iron Pictures (Swiss Army Man), the film will shoot in Canada later this month.
Ben Stiller’s daughter, Ella Stiller, has been cast as a series regular opposite Mike Colter (Luke Cage) in Cupertino, CBS’s new legal drama. She plays Christy, a young assistant at a startup law firm in the Silicon Valley set series. Ella has a relatively full resume, with the most recent parts being in Happy Gilmore 2 and Driver’s Ed. Airing sometime this year.
Ophelia Lovibond (Minx) and Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones) will headline the short film Still Life. A couple confronts stillbirth through a dark humor lens. Currently in production.
After a decade of judging cake on TV, the iconic Dame Prue Leith is leaving Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off after nine seasons. There is no word yet on who will replace the beloved 86-year-old judge.
FESTIVALS
If you’re headed to Sundance, you might see cameras… but it’ll be for a Hulu doc on Sundance.
Of course, the talent for the three-part doc is insane:
EP: Ryan Coogler, Lynette Howell Taylor (AMPAS pres/Blue Valentine producer), Mark Monroe (Icarus)
Dir: Braden King (The Evening Hour)
Studio: Searchlight TV
Of course, the take on the festival is going to be prestigious with tons of great BTS footage from Redford, Cooper, PTA, Tarantino, and Zhao.
We wish to death that John Wilson would be invited to do a 5min segment. He’s going to be at Sundance this year with his own film, The History of Concrete.
Sundance. Sales pick-up:
Shame and Money
Dir: Visar Morina
Sales Rep: Yellow Affair (Hugo Weaving’s The Rooster)
Synopsis:
A proud family man struggles to provide as financial pressures mount. Though his mother and brother-in-law offer help, accepting support wounds his dignity. As stability slips away, he faces tough choices about pride versus survival.
Berlin. Sales pick-ups:
Trial of Hein
Opening Film: Perspectives
Sales Rep: Heretic (prod co: Triangle of Sadness)
Synopsis:
After 14 years, Hein returns to his island village, but the community doesn’t recognize him and demands a trial to prove his identity.
Forest High
Perspectives
Sales Rep: RAI Cinema (prod co: La Chimera)
Synopsis:
A seasonal meditation on solitude and nature in the Alps.
Rotterdam. Sales rep pick up:
Sicko
Sales Rep: Loco Films (Mr. Nobody Against Putin)
Synopsis:
A cash-strapped couple who fake a terminal illness and start a crowdfunder for treatment, but their viral scheme attracts attention from Almaty’s criminal underworld and spins dangerously out of control.
Mini Tidbit:
CPH:DOX, one of the biggest doc festivals in the world, has a financing and co-production event, CPH:FORUM. The 30 projects at the forum have astonishing visuals. Check them out here.
Chicken & Egg films (prod co: Seeds, Pariah) has its own egg-celerator. Here are the grantees.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Blumhouse-Atomic Monster has brought on Shudder’s Sam Zimmerman as SVP of Development and Acquisitions. Beyond just overseeing the film slate, Zimmerman will also act as a liaison between the two genre powerhouses.
In 2026, Blumhouse is partnering with Focus Features on the anticipated supernatural movie Obsession, and Atomic Monster is working with A24 on the horror film Backrooms.
Mini Tidbits:
Tribeca Films has picked up festival-winning documentary We Are Pat (trailer), centered on the legacy of Julia Sweeney’s famous SNL character. The film earned a special jury mention at Tribeca for the directorial debut of Rowan Haber.
Documentary Filmmaker Julia Bacha (Budrus) is making a documentary on NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Bacha began in 2023 during Mamdani’s state assembly reelection bid. Currently in post.
Israeli director Nadav Lapid (Yes!) will shoot a new feature set in France, echoing his Berlin Golden Bear winner Synonyms. Now Paris-based, he expects no Israeli backing after backlash to Yes!, but the film’s abrasive satire created controversy and hype in equal measure.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Chocolate history is only written by the winners.
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