Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Kimmel’s Return, Cage’s Fortitude, and a bride.
Let’s go!
If you enjoy today’s edition, please hit the like button or leave a comment.
Jimmy Kimmel is back for now. But is he back for good?
He returned to his late-night talk show last night with a thunderous standing ovation after he had been taken off the air last week.
During his opening monologue, he apologized:
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. I posted a message on IG the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it and I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that to some, that felt ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both. And for those that think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset, if the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I’d have felt the same way. I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution. And it isn’t. Ever.
He continued:
“Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television, and we have to stand up to it.”
He continued:
“This show is not important. What’s important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
The network ABC (owner: Disney) had removed the show after FCC chairman Brendan Carr expressed his displeasure over Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk.
The Disney-directed criticism was intense:
Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner posted a rare tweet
Protest from Hollywood guilds: SAG-AFTRA, WGA, PGA, DGA, IATSE
ACLU protest Letter signed by 400 celebs, including Ben Stiller, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and Pedro Pascal
Kimmel’s show has not been reinstated by:
Nexstar
Carries ABC on 32 local stations
11-12% of Kimmel’s audience
Sinclair
Carries ABC on 38 local stations
15% of Kimmel’s audience
That means that yesterday’s episode was not seen by roughly 22% of the audience or 389K viewers (there’s overlap here between the networks).
His show will now return to airing weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.
For More:
In ill-timed Disney-related news. They’re going the route of all the major streamers and introducing price hikes:
Disney+ w/ ads
$9.99 → $11.99
20% increase
Hulu w/ ads
$9.99 → $11.99
20% increase
The Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max bundle w/ ads
$16.99 → $19.99
17.7% increase
Increases hitting on October 21st.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Nicolas Cage reunites with Simon West for WWII spy thriller Fortitude.
Netflix wins bidding war for supernatural family drama Pagans.
Amazon MGM orders half-hour comedy The Pickup.
Netflix inks multi-year licensing deal with Hallmark.
Netflix to adapt Mitch Albom’s new novel Twice.
Michele Mulroney elected President of the WGA West.
Netflix developing Melissa McCarthy-starring adaptation of Miss Nelson Is Missing.
Claudia Cardinale (8 ½) dies at 87.
A24/Plan B back India Donaldson’s The Chaperones, with David Jonsson & Cooper Hoffman attached.
Row K hires CRO and CMO.
Nat Geo buys Tamara Kotevska’s The Tale of Silyan.
Magnolia acquires Ben Wheatley’s Normal starring Bob Odenkirk.
Janus Films picks up Carla Simón’s Romería.
Vertical nabs SXSW hit Bunny.
France’s Canal+ acquires South Africa’s MultiChoice for $2B.
Italy submits Familia as Oscar contender; Australia picks The Wolves Always Come at Night.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
A bonkers premise, a meeting of the minds, and a whole lotta Cage: Simon West (dir: The Expendables 2) has begun filming Fortitude, a World War II spy thriller, which will reunite him with Nicolas Cage. The two created the infamously strange Con Air in their last collaboration, and this one has the framework to be just as weird.
With big names Matthew Goode, Michael Sheen, Ben Kingsley, and more in the ensemble cast. The film dramatizes deception operations by British Intelligence officers Dudley Clarke and Tar Robertson, who used fake armies, props, and double agents during their espionage. That’s some grade A hijinks right there, and as always, you have to account for the batshit trajectory Cage can send something in an instant.
Check out Con Air’s trailer here.
Netflix has ordered Joshua Zetumer's (creator: FX’s Say Nothing) supernatural drama Pagans after a massive bidding war among up to 15 different studios and streamers.
The series follows a widower raising two children, whose peculiar nature gives way to a sinister mystery.
As a writer, Zetumer always has a strong emotional core, even in his script, the ultra Hollywood RoboCop, he gave a nuanced focus to the man inside the metal rather than purely focusing on spectacle. With his strong grasp of very human drama throughout, the show will probably balance all the family stuff with some weird, out-there supernatural.
All in all, this is a big win for Spec scripts in this IP-dominated industry of late. Hopefully, these wins keep coming.
Tidbits:
Amazon MGM Studios has acquired an untitled half-hour comedy starring former NFL running back turned sports photographer Marshawn Lynch (The Pickup). The show will see the athlete playing a version of himself who leaves the world of sports to become a detective in none other than Las Vegas. Created by Max Searle (EP on Hulu’s Dave), who is also the showrunner.
Netflix is covering all its bases by inking a multi-year licensing deal with Hallmark. Under the new agreement, Hallmark’s Andie MacDowell-led series The Way Home (preview), as well as several hit movies, will drop on the streamer in February.
I was really excited when I heard Bigfoot Monster universe: Sadly, it’s about a monster truck and its inventor/driver, Bob Chandler. Plans are being laid out for a live-action feature, animated series, video games, and merchandise celebrating Bob Chandler’s monster truck legacy.
Mulroney is taking the reins. The Writers’ Guild of America West has announced their new president, Michele Mulroney, the current VP. A long-time film writer, Mulroney has spent her career seeking out better care for working writers within the industry. The WGA is preparing for more negotiations this coming year.
Mini Tidbits:
In a competitive negotiation, Netflix gets the rights to Mitch Albom’s “magical love story” Twice. About A Boy (2002) writer Paul Weitz is set to adapt the novel and direct.
Disney and Heart’s A+E Global Media bring on broadcast TV veteran Brian Weiss as EVP, Strategy and Business Development. Weiss will work with Content Sales and International teams and act as the company’s finance and technology liaison.
Film financier SK Global’s (Crazy Rich Asians) Critical Content (Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia) promotes Rob Lobl and Tony Yates to co-presidents. The latter will oversee physical production, and Lobl will lead the current development projects.
Kenan Thompson and Johnny Ryan Jr.’s Artists for Artists is developing Macho, a feature biopic on wrestling icon “Macho Man” Randy Savage from a script co-written by Savage’s late brother, Lanny Poffo. Savage was a performer above all Oh yeah!
Paramount’s deal with BoulderLight Pictures (Weapons) producers JD Lifshitz and Raphael Margules is valued at $20M over 4 years + development/acquisition funds. Although likely, they will not work on Weapons director Zach Cregger’s proposed Aunt Gladys prequel.
Greenlit:
Fox’s Baywatch (reboot)
12eps
Premiere: 2026-2027
Creator: Matt Nix (USA’s Burn Notice)
Original show remastered trailer
Trailers:
Netflix’s Boots
EP: Norman Lear
Co-star: Vera Farmiga
Release: Oct 9th
Dear Shop Girl
Cast: Rory Culkin
Premiere: Oct 17 (Woodstock Film Festival)
Max’s It: Welcome to Derry
Release: Oct 26th
MGM+’s Robin Hood
Release: Nov 2nd
Disney’s Prep & Landing
Release: Nov 27th
Disney’s The Mandalorian & Grogu
Release: May 22, 2026
Hulu’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Cast: Maika Monroe
Release: Oct 22nd
This last one continues the trend of recent films exploring the anxiety of caretakers. There’s a lot of overlap here with the Sydney Sweeney + Amanda Seyfried film The Housemaid (trailer).
Release dates:
Magenta Light Studios’ Deep Water
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley
Release: May 1, 2026
Tubi’s Pumpkinhead
Source Material: R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour
Release: Oct 17th
Apple TV+’s The Savant
Star: Jessica Chastain
Original release date of Sept. 26 is postponed
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Jessie Buckley’s Heart of Despair.
Buckley, who you may have seen starring in Alex Garland’s Men (2022) or Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020), is embracing her darker side in two recent roles.
First, she will star in the titular role of Warner Bros.’ The Bride (trailer), where she will play a recently re-animated woman, the bride of Frankenstein. The film is directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Full project breakdown: https://theindustry.co/p/bale-and-gyllenhaal-make-a-monster
Buckley also stars in Focus Features’ upcoming Hamnet (trailer). Her performance as William Shakespeare’s tortured wife taps into the dark forces of nature.
Buckley has something astonishing. An energetic way of expressing grief. It’s loud, unseemly, and wild. And it really is magnetizing on screen. Just re-watch this section of The Bride trailer, just when you thought she couldn’t go any deeper into crazed despair, she finds a way to harness more.
Tidbits:
I can think of no one better than Melissa McCarthy to pull off the wacky substitute teacher Miss Nelson for Netflix’s film adaptation of the beloved children’s book Miss Nelson Is Missing. When the students misbehave, the once sweet teacher takes on her strict, nonsense alter ego, Viola Swamp, who is both terrifying and ridiculous. McCarthy has made a career from being as intense and committed to a character as one could possibly be in the most hilarious ways (she can go from normal to unhinged in a second, like in this scene), making this a fitting casting.
Though Spider-Man production is briefly paused due to Tom Holland’s injury on set, they are still moving forward, completely packing this film with new and legacy characters. Most recently, it has been announced that immortal mob boss Tombstone will be played by Marvin Jones III (Black Lightning). This thing is looking huge. Zendaya and Mark Ruffalo return. Sadie Sink and Liza Colón-Zayas also joined the cast. Sony targets a July 2026 release, and it looks like they are hoping for another Spider-Man billion.
Netflix’s Cameron Diaz action comedy Bad Day adds:
Rhenzy Feliz (The Penguin)
Jessica Belkin (Elle)
Emma Pearson (The Artist)
A single mom must fight through the absolute worst day of her life to keep one small promise to her daughter, no matter what stands in her way. Production begins this fall.
One of Italy’s most captivating and classic actresses, Claudia Cardinale (Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West), has passed away at 87. She notably starred as the luminous muse in the dreamlike world of Federico Fellini’s Oscar-winning Best International Film 8 ½ (1963, scene). Her career helped define a time of European cinema, and she will be missed.
FESTIVALS AND DOCS
One of the best docs of the year, Sundance Directing Award winner The Perfect Neighbor, just dropped a chilling trailer.
Through mostly police body cam footage, the doc shows a neighbor’s ire at the children in the neighborhood playing on her street. But what could be a simplistic race relations doc is something much deeper and more complex.
The escalation is asphyxiating and hard to watch. Netflix releases Oct 17th.
Today’s news is rather long. On the other side of the paywall is another 1000 words of news, including:
A24 + Plan B + Robert Pattinson
Nat Geo picks up an Oscar contender
Canal+’s biggest deal ever
And more…
By becoming a paid subscriber, you will not only get full access. You will also be helping to support independent media.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Industry to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.