Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Unicorns, UFOs, and Dreams.
Let’s go!
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A24 does absurdist dark humor better than anyone, and this time, a unicorn is involved.
The studio has just dropped the first trailer for Death of a Unicorn, which sees Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd as the father-daughter duo we didn’t know we needed running over not a deer but a magical unicorn.
The film is written and directed by first-time feature director Alex Scharfman, with Ari Aster (dir. Hereditary) attached as a producer.
So, how does a first-time feature director get an A24 + an outstanding cast:
Will Poulter (The Bear), leaning into his comedy chops
Richard E. Grant (Academy Award nominee: Can You Ever Forgive Me?), a typical corrupt mega-wealthy pharmaceutical CEO
Jenna Ortega, a rebellious, goth-like teen who is completely embarrassed and bothered by her parents
Paul Rudd, hapless father
Reading the tea leaves of Scharfman’s IMDBPro, it seems he started out as an (uncredited) Archival Researcher on Beginners (2010). Indie cinephiles will recognize this as Parts & Labor’s breakout feature film. That company was started by Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen, who served as Scott Rudin’s assistants for many years. Rudin provided seed funding to Parts & Labor through development funds.
Scharfman grew with the company, becoming a production executive for Parts & Labor’s top projects:
The Witch (2015)
An early A24 film featuring a mythical creature
Complete Unknown (2016)
American Honey (2016)
When Jay and Lars split, Scharfman co-launched a new production company, Secret Engine. He earned his first feature-producing credits on Resurrection (2022), which was produced under his company with support from Lars’ new production company, Square Peg, co-founded by Ari Aster.
Scharfman took over 15 years to get his first feature up, and hats off to him for the unending diligence and all he did for indie filmmakers along the way before he stepped up to bat.
A true unicorn.
For More:
Death of a Unicorn trailer. Out spring 2025.
THE INDUSTRY TLDR
Sony acquires the rights to the short story H.A.V.E.N. for feature adaptation from Black List writer Carter Blanchard.
Higher Ground, Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, has partnered with 20th Century Studios for Merry Ex-Mas, a holiday comedy.
CA Tax credits roll in for 10 lucky projects… but no indie films.
Warner Bros. Discovery has promoted two of its executives to take on new titles of leadership for its North American cable networks.
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film Judy, starring Tom Cruise as the lead, has kicked off production.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures, in collaboration with Lionsgate, will produce their first Canadian scripted TV series.
Netflix and Skydance Sports are partnering to produce a docuseries on tennis legend Rafael Nadal.
Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown is renewed for a 4th season.
Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), who won the Best Actress award at Cannes, is set to star in Las Malas, directed by Alejandro Iñárritu’s co-writer.
Courtney Cox is officially reprising her role as the fame-seeking reporter in Scream 7.
The screenplays for Challengers and The Seed of the Sacred Fig are here.
Magazine Dreams, the boxing film that premiered at Sundance 2023 to strong reviews but got pulled from its Searchlight release due to Jonathan Majors's involvement, has secured a theatrical release date.
Metrograph Pictures released a trailer for its Memento-like film Gazer, which premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Ahead of its world premiere at Sundance’s World Dramatic Competition, Where the Wind Comes From, a Tunisian dramedy has been picked up by Film Boutique (The Seed of The Sacred Fig) for international rights.
Uri Singer (prod: White Noise, Tesla, Experimenter) will produce Paparazzo, a script that appeared on this year’s Black List.
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
Sony’s Haven. Sony has just acquired the rights to the short story H.A.V.E.N. with plans for the writer, Carter Blanchard, to adapt it into a feature screenplay. The film mixes Ufology with memory loss and a splash of NBC’s Manifest.
Here’s the story description:
After Becky Fletcher wakes up in a field with no memory of how she got there, she learns that she’s been missing since 1976, yet hasn’t aged a day. She finds herself living in a world she no longer recognizes — all her friends and family long gone — until learning she had a daughter who went missing with her in 1976, but never came back. A daughter who has been mysteriously erased from her memory.
The short story comes with artwork that can best be described as comic book suburban alien horror:
Smile for the camera (drawing)
The doors are not what they seem (drawing)
Alien abduction (drawing)
Blanchard’s 2024 Black List script, Glimmer, revolved around similar out-of-this-world elements and is currently being developed with Amblin TV for MGM+.
No production date for H.A.V.E.N. has been set.
Not So Jolly at Home: Higher Ground, Barack, and Michelle Obama's production company has partnered with 20th Century Studios for Merry Ex-Mas, a holiday comedy about Santa and Mrs. Claus divorcing. This marks their first non-Netflix project but not the end of their partnership.
This looks to be the first foray into comedy.
Higher Ground Productions has created notable films, documentaries, and podcasts, including:
Leave the World Behind (2023): A thriller about a family’s disrupted getaway due to a cyberattack and unexpected visitors.
Rustin (2023): A biopic about Bayard Rustin, the gay Civil Rights leader behind the 1963 March on Washington.
American Symphony (2023): A documentary exploring musician Jon Batiste's relationship with his partner, Suleika Jaouad.
Fatherhood (2021): A film about a single father raising his daughter after his wife’s death.
American Factory (2020): An Oscar-winning documentary on a Chinese company opening a factory in Ohio.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution: A documentary highlighting the disability rights movement.
Becoming: A documentary following Michelle Obama's life and book tour.
Merry Ex-mas is aiming to hit the next holiday season in 2025.
CA Tax credits roll in for 10 lucky projects. Here’s the breakdown of what the state is giving/getting this cycle (ahead of it, hopefully doubling its annual incentive to $750 M).
$108.6 M in tax credits
$509 M in qualified CA spend
3583 jobs created
Out of the 10 funded projects, zero are indies. This is a big challenge to early-stage filmmakers who struggle to finance their films, who often go to other states that offer more generous tax credits to a larger pool of films, e.g., Georgia (68 features) or New Mexico (55 features).
Here are a couple of the studio TV projects being funded:
Imperfect Women Season 1
Studio: 20th Television
Distributor: Apple TV+
Star/EP: Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington
85 shoot days
$61 M spend
Bad Monkey Season 2
Studio: Warner Bros. Discovery
Relocating from Florida for its S2
Cast: Vince Vaughn
93 shoot days
$82 M spend
Also, LA Nights (likely the code name for HBO’s Euphoria Season 3) got $19 M in tax credits, confirming it will shoot next year.
Here’s a full list of the productions that received the credit, including two non-indie features from 20th Century Studios.
Tidbits:
Warner Bros. Discovery has promoted two of its executives to take on new titles of leadership for its North American cable networks. Warner Bros. Television President Brett Paul will serve as Chief Operating Officer for U.S. Networks and will lead business affairs and digital strategy. Howard Lee, previously the President and Head of Content for TLC and Discovery, is now Chief Creative Officer of U.S. Networks.
Another Colleen Hoover novel is heading to the big screen with Love at First Sight (2023) director Vanessa Caswell, adapting the author’s Reminders of Him at Universal Pictures. First published in 2022, the book about motherhood has sold over 6 M copies and was given a Valentine’s Day release date set for 2026. Casting has not yet begun.
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film is Judy, starring Tom Cruise as the lead, sounds interesting. Not much is known about the plot, but it will focus on (Cruise) the most powerful man in the world, who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything. Judy has just completed its first production phase, aiming for a 2025 release.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures, in collaboration with Lionsgate, have established a first-look deal and will produce their first Canadian scripted TV series for Bell Media’s Crave and CTV. Known for hits like The Boys and Sausage Party, Seth seems incredibly chuffed about the whole thing, saying:
“Canada is the greatest country on Earth and deserves the greatest content on Earth. To honour the country from coast to glorious coast and every square kilometre in between, we promise to work diligently with our partners at Lionsgate and Bell Media to ensure our new deal results in creatively exciting and financially lucrative work that flows forth from our alliance like syrup from a well-tapped maple tree.”
Then he probably laughed like this.
Penguin Season 2? Matt Reeves is saying it's a definite possibility. He even claimed that HBO series acclaim may even lead to more screen time for Collin Ferrell's Oz in Batman Part 2. Leading nicely into another series to bridge the gap until Part 3.
Netflix and Skydance Sports are partnering to produce a docuseries on tennis legend Rafael Nadal. Directed by Zach Heinzerling, the series will explore Nadal’s iconic career, personal life, and his 2024 comeback.
Renewals:
Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown (Season 4)
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
Karla Sofía Gascón is amazing in Emilia Pérez. IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT, BE WARNED: SPOILERS FOLLOW.
Gascón’s performance is an incredible dichotomy. Playing both a gangster leader with a heavy level of machismo (pre-transition). And a passionate yet equally icy woman (post-transition) whose stare is enough to terrify Zoe Saldana out of her skin.
Gascón, who won the Best Actress award at Cannes (along with her co-stars), is set to star in Las Malas.
Here’s the synopsis:
Aunt Encarna (Gascón), a tough but motherly leader of a group of trans sex workers, whose routine is upset when she finds an abandoned baby and decides to adopt him without realizing she is putting everyone around her in danger.
Tough but motherly is the perfect way of describing Gascón, who was charged up and effervescent at a screening I went to. Even though she spoke with a translator, her words were clear: she is a born star, and knows it!
Las Malas is directed, produced, and co-written by Armando Bó (co-writer: Iñárritu’s Birdman, Biutiful).
No word on shoot dates.
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Tidbit:
Gale Weather isn’t going anywhere… Courtney Cox, a staple of this cult-followed horror franchise, is officially reprising her role as the fame-seeking reporter in Scream 7. After facing many setbacks, cast shakeups, and production delays, Scream 7 is set for a Feb. 27th, 2026 premiere.
FESTIVALS AND RESOURCES
Read Justin Kuritzkes’s Challengers screenplay here:
https://theindustry.co/p/prospective-best-screenplay-academy
Luca Guadagnino directs. Zendaya and Josh O'Connor star.
Also, read The Seed of the Sacred Fig, plus 28 more Oscar-hopeful scripts, at the same link above.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
Magazine Dreams, the boxing film that premiered at Sundance 2023 to strong reviews but got pulled from its Searchlight release due to Jonathan Majors's involvement, has found a distribution date: March 21st, 2025, over two years after its Sundance premiere.
Briarcliff’s founder Tom Ortenberg, former Lionsgate President, has a history of producing hot-button films:
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Dir: Michael Moore
Won: Cannes Palme d’Or
Tom’s Role: President of the distribution company, Lionsgate
Spotlight (2015)
Won: Academy Award Best Picture
Tom’s Role: EP/President of distributor Open Road Films
Snowden (2016)
Tom’s Role: EP/President of distributor Open Road Films
The Apprentice
Trump biopic
Premiere: Cannes
Tom’s Role: President of the distribution company
Ortenberg stated:
“Magazine Dreams is a visceral experience that challenges the perceptions of ambition and identity… Jonathan Majors’ transcendent performance as Killian Maddox will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most compelling and transformative roles in recent cinema history,”
I was kicking myself for missing tickets to this at Sundance in 2023, so I’m jazzed that this will see the light of day on March 21, 2025, in theaters.
Metrograph Pictures is releasing a very Memento-like film, Gazer, which premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Frankie, a young mother with dyschronometria, struggles to perceive time. Using cassette tapes for guidance, she takes a risky job from a mysterious woman to support her family, unaware of the dark consequences that await.
The trailer has deep shades of Guy Pearce’s Memento putting together the pieces of his crimes, but what sets it apart is how auditorily haunting it is.
This is the debut feature of Ryan J. Sloan.
Out Feb 21st.
Tidbits:
Neon and Maika Monroe are teaming up again after Longlegs’ $75 M success. Maika is slated to star in Brides, a thriller directed by Watcher, & VHS/94 director Chloe Okuno. Based on Okuno's original screenplay, the film follows Sally Bishop (Monroe) and her husband at a remote Italian villa, where a mysterious count fixates on Sally. Produced by Likely Story, pre-production has begun, with shooting slated for March. Neon will release the film theatrically.
Ahead of its world premiere at Sundance’s World Dramatic Competition, Where the Wind Comes From, a Tunisian dramedy has been picked up by Film Boutique (The Seed of The Sacred Fig) for international rights. The first feature film from incoming director Amel Guellaty, Where the Wind.. is a true road trip story following the charming relationship between two unalike best friends and their journey across Tunisia.
Uri Singer (prod: White Noise, Tesla, Experimenter) takes Paparazzo. The script appeared on this year’s Black List.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Desperate for fast cash to help his ailing mother, an opportunistic outcast partners with a wily paparazzo who entangles them in a homicide involving young celebutantes.
The description reads a little like a 2nd cousin to Nightcrawler, a personal favorite of mine.
Scriptwriter Christian Nilsson stated:
“I’ve always been fascinated by outsiders—people who hover on the edge of society, who do the things most of us don’t want to admit we need. This film is a love letter to that contradiction. It’s as much about the chase for truth as it is about the damage left in its wake.”
Singer is a good partner in that much of his filmography features ambitious outsiders who cause some level of societal evolution.
No word on shoot dates.
ON THIS DAY
1971. A Clockwork Orange premieres.
Written by Gabriel Miller, Spencer Carter, and Madelyn Menapace.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
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