The Next Dumbledore
Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
The Next Dumbledore, Viola Davis’ Die Hard and an eel.
Let’s go!
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John Lithgow as Dumbledore?
HBO’s Harry Potter series may have found its Dumbledore, and the rumored pick is none other than John Lithgow. The Emmy-winning actor, known for his commanding presence and warmth, would bring a wealth of experience to the role.
Originally, the part was expected to go to Mark Rylance, but he stepped away following the passing of his wife. While Lithgow is distinctly American, his Shakespearean background and ability to bring gravitas (The Crown) and mischief (3rd Rock from the Sun) could make him a fascinating choice for Hogwarts’ beloved headmaster.
Some fans will balk at the idea of a non-British actor taking on the iconic role that was first shepherded into our hearts by Richard Harris (HP 1-2) and then Michael Gambon (HP 3 - 8), especially in a series deeply rooted in British culture.
But Dumbledore has always been a character of wisdom, whimsy, and quiet authority—qualities Lithgow has mastered in roles like FX’s The Old Man and Dexter.
This series was always going to face scrutiny, but if Lithgow brings the magic, audiences may find themselves enchanted all the same.
For More:
Upon Michael Gambon’s passing, we wrote about What Dumbledore Meant to Us:
https://theindustry.co/p/what-dumbledore-meant-to-us
Next time John Lithgow is onscreen? The very creepy The Rule of Jenny Pen, a retirement home horror (trailer).
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Will Smith is developing Hitch 2…without the original director.
The upcoming courtroom thriller Zoma comes from Moritz Binder (writer: September 5).
Ryan Murphy (creator of American Horror Story) is reportedly stepping in to salvage The Shards.
Will Gluck (dir: Anyone But You) is set to direct Universal’s One Night Only, a suspenseful sex comedy.
Viola Davis is the president of the United States in Prime’s G20.
Jeremy Strong leads Netflix’s series The Boys From Brazil, marking Strong’s post-Sucession return to the small screen.
Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars adds Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce to the cast.
Alfie Allen (dog-killer in John Wick) plays Timothy McVeigh in McVeigh.
Berlin Film Festival dropped a lot of trailers for their competition lineup, including the surreal fantasy Eel.
The Weight launches at EFM. It stars Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe.
Some new additions to EFM are Emile Hirsch’s Condemnation, Noomi Rapace’s Traction, and Gabriel Bryne as a mad old man. Full breakdown of EFM’s top projects here.
BAFTA-winning actress Kristin Scott Thomas’ directorial debut, My Mother's Wedding, has been acquired by Vertical.
Sam Mendes unearths the horrors of a concentration camp in his first documentary.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Will Smith has hitched a new director: After Bad Boys 4 brought in $400 M, it looks like the aftermath of the "slap” no longer reverberates through Will Smith's ears and pocketbook.
With that comes all sorts of new opportunities for remakes and nostalgia-baiting sequels; cue Hitch 2.
The return of Smith's 2005 romantic comedy about a man playing matchmaker only to fall in love himself. Sadly, a casualty of Smith's new flurry of pitches is the film's original director, Andy Tennent. Tennet found out when he pitched an idea for Hitch 2 to Sony only to find out Smith had beaten him to the umm… punch.
Though Tennet has more or less fallen out of the public eye, not making any big movies since 2010, it's still gotta sting. While the world may have forgiven Will Smith, only time will tell if that extends to romantic comedies.
Upcoming courtroom thriller Zoma comes from insanely impressive German writer Moritz Binder, who is now Oscar-nominated for his screenplay of the high-intensity retelling of the 1972 Munich Olympics tragedy, September 5 (2024).
The terrifying thriller is directed by German-Iranian filmmaker Alireza Golafshan (Alles Fifty Fifty), who he also co-wrote the screenplay with Binder, saying:
‘With Zoma, where we’re diving deep into AI, the legal system, and psychology, [Binder’s] same level of care and precision is absolutely essential.”
Zoma is the debut project of Munich-based production company Story Garden, which was launched this past October.
Tidbits:
Ryan Murphy (creator of American Horror Story) is reportedly stepping in to salvage The Shards, based on American Psycho writer Bret Easton Ellis's audiobook and novel of the same name. Initially set at HBO with Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario) directing, the project collapsed over creative differences. Murphy’s track record of provocative, stylish storytelling could inject new life into the series—albeit through a very different lens than Ellis originally envisioned.
Sex Drive meets The Purge… Will Gluck, who directed the smash hit romcom Anyone But You (2023), is set to direct One Night Only, a suspenseful sex comedy acquired by Universal Pictures from on-the-rise writer Travis Braun.
Official Synopsis:
Tells of two strangers, a man and a woman, who scramble to find someone to sleep with on the one night of the year when premarital sex is legal in their society.
Currently in development, One Night Only topped the 2024 Black List of unproduced screenplays, with the Easy A (2010) director hopping on board as soon as he was able.
New season of familiar TV shows:
Plus, the new location for True Detective Season 5 has been revealed: New York in Jamaica Bay.
Plus, if you’re an Android user, you can finally get Apple TV+.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Viola Davis is the president of the United States. She stars in Prime’s upcoming G20. Although, if you watch the trailer, she’s more like Bruce Willis in Die Hard.
Here’s the synopsis for G20:
Terrorists take over the G20 summit with US President Taylor Sutton (Davis), bringing her governing and military experience to defend her family, company, and the world.
Watch Davis kick some terrorist ass in the trailer.
Her unstoppable brilliance can be seen in these four Oscar performances:
Doubt (2008)
Nomination - Best Actress in a Supporting Role
The Help (2011)
Nomination - Best Actress in a Leading Role
Fences (2016)
Won - Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Nomination - Best Actress in a Leading Role
While this may seem like a trite mega-budget action thriller, Davis’ ability to ground mega-budget performances (Suicide Squad - clip) could make this a hit.
Dropping on Prime April 10th.
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Jeremy Strong plays Laurence Olivier. Well, not Olivier exactly, but a part that the late great stage/film actor portrayed in 1978. Strong’s project is Netflix’s series The Boys From Brazil, which marks Strong’s post-Sucession return to the small screen.
Here’s the original synopsis:
A Nazi hunter (Strong) in Paraguay discovers a sinister and bizarre plot to rekindle the Third Reich.
This is an interesting role for Strong, who has carved out a niche for himself, playing characters who pursue those in positions of extreme power (Succession, The Apprentice). The difference in this series is that Strong seeks to dismantle, not attain.
Here’s the very overdone trailer for the 1978 original. No word on production dates for the series, but it hails from Peter Morgan (creator: The Crown).
Tidbits:
Director Ridley Scott’s upcoming film The Dog Stars with 20th Century is adding new leads. In addition to the previously announced Jacob Elordi, three more have boarded.
Here’s some more on the film, which is unlike any of Ridley Scott’s previous sci-fi works and now stars Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce, only one of which is a sci-fi regular.
Alfie Allen has some range! Remember the sniveling mob boss’s son in John Wick (the kid that kicks the entire series into action for killing the dog?). Well, Allen is now playing The Oklahoma City Bomber, Timothy McVeigh. The trailer shows a very stoic Allen, who you see harboring a deep bile for others. Premiering March 21st in theaters/digital.
Amin Joseph (Snowfall) joins The Greatest, Prime’s Muhammad Ali series, as heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, Ali’s formidable early rival. The drama explores Ali’s life beyond the ring. Michael B. Jordan EPs.
This one is very meta. Taylor Lautner, who famously loved Bella (Kristen Stewart) and turned into a werewolf in the Twilight movies, is now playing a fictionalized version of himself who leads a double life as a Hollywood actor and a werewolf hunter in Prime’s Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter.
From Prison Psychologist to Prisoner. Theo Rossi, who played a brilliantly odd prison psychologist in The Penguin, is starring in Bruton, a biopic about a former Florida inmate.
FESTIVALS
There are some great gems in the Berlin Film Festival’s daily drop of new trailers, including Eel (poster above), which is a deep, wild dreamscape.
Click the link below to see the trailers, plus a first look at Lesbian Space Princess:
https://theindustry.co/p/berlin-2025
There’s one new project headed to EFM that caught my attention:
The Weight
Cast: Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe
Dir: Padraic McKinley (EP: Crowe’s The Exorcism - 2024)
Domestic sales rep: WME + CAA
International Sales Rep: WME
Synopsis:
Samuel Murphy (Hawke), after the death of his wife, is imprisoned in a labor camp run by Clancy (Crowe), an unscrupulous overseer. Murphy only wants to escape and regain custody of his daughter, Penny, but becomes entangled in Clancy’s perilous gold smuggling scheme.
It’ll be nice to see Crowe return to a prestige piece… although we’ve been having a lot of fun watching him in some of his more recent pulpy fare.
Here’s our running list of the latest and greatest projects at EFM. Some new additions are Emile Hirsch’s Condemnation, Noomi Rapace’s Traction, and Gabriel Bryne as a mad old man.
https://theindustry.co/p/bad-boys-old-pals
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT / INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BAFTA-winning actress Kristin Scott Thomas’ directorial debut, My Mother's Wedding, has been acquired by Vertical (The Order, Your Monster), led by a power-heavy cast.
Find out more about this film starring Scarlett Johansson. This is the third time Kristin Scott Thomas has played her mom.
Sam Mendes unearths horrors. Mendes steps into the documentary realm with What They Found, an unflinching account of British army cameramen who first captured the horrors of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Using only their original footage and testimonies, Mendes reconstructs the haunting reality they uncovered in April 1945. This will be his first doc.
The film, produced by Lightbox (Man on Wire) and Neal Street (1917), will premiere on BBC Two and iPlayer this April.
Tidbits:
Alex Braverman’s Thank You Very Much, a decade-in-the-making documentary on Andy Kaufman, premieres March 28. Featuring unseen footage and interviews following Andy's bizarre life and his incredibly distinct comedic genius and lasting influence. Produced by Morgan Neville, the Safdie Brothers (oh yeah!), and Wavelength.
Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting acquired Wolf Creek: Legacy,
For more on this story, plus info on Studiocanal’s promotions, Netflix Japan’s slate, and Anonymous Content’s new partner, click here:
https://theindustry.co/p/cineverse-studiocanal-netflix-japan
ON THIS DAY
1972. Film adaptation of Cabaret is released.
See you Friday.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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