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Good morning: In today’s edition of The Industry, we look at:
Christian Bale’s new monster, Denis Villeneuve goes nuclear, Legally Blonde graduates to Amazon, A24’s new planet, and a projectionist.
Let’s go!
BALE AND GYLLENHAAL MAKE A MONSTER
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It’s Alive!
Maggie Gyllenhaal is directing an upcoming Frankenstein film, The Bride, which stars Christian Bale.
The classic Mary Shelley novel, written in 1818, has spurred over 100 film adaptations. The most iconic was Frankenstein (1931) starring Boris Karloff (watch the classic over-the-top It’s Alive! clip).
Gyllenhaal’s film is a loose adaptation of the sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
Her cast is impressive:
- Frankenstein
- Christian Bale
- The Bride
- Jessie Buckley (Wicked Little Letters, Men)
- Detective
- Peter Sarsgaard
- Other Cast:
- Penélope Cruz
- Annette Bening
Here’s the official synopsis:
A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of the police and a wild and radical social movement.
Although Gyllenhaal has been quiet about the film, her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, shared the following:
“It’s this big, romantic, deeply romantic, wild, punk monster movie! I think it’s going to be energizing! It’s rambunctious! People are going to be very surprised that this is Maggie’s second movie. It is nothing, at all, like The Lost Daughter [her 3x Oscar-nominated directorial debut].”
There’s a beautiful irony in two semi-dead monsters with their patchwork of flesh, sparking a romance, thereby proving “they’re alive.” If Gyllenhaal is able to unlock this, perhaps locating resonances of Bale’s American Psycho monster, it’ll be one to watch.
The Bride releases on October 3, 2025.
For More:
First look at the ultra-punk rock Chrisitan Bale as Frankenstein. Photo.
First, look at Jessie Buckley’s ink-blotted The Bride. Photo.
Frankenstein and The Bride meet cute in The Bride of Frankenstein (trailer, 1935)
THE INDUSTRY NEWS
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Denis Villeneuve goes nuclear. Following the giant sand-worm-sized success of Dune: Part Two, which grossed $631 M so far at the box office, the director is in talks to team back up with Ledendary on a new film, Nuclear War: A Scenario.
Here’s the official synopsis of the non-fiction book on which the film will be based:
A nuclear missile is inbound toward the United States. The ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, have been privy to the response plans, and have been responsible for those decisions should they have needed to be made. Nuclear War: A Scenario examines the handful of minutes after a nuclear missile launch.
No doubt the ultra-success of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has created an environment for this to be a sure-fire bet.
It also seems to be a spiritual cousin to The Day After (1983, full film), the most-watched TV movie of all time that depicted what would happen if the US got hit by a nuclear attack–in gruesomely authentic detail.
Legendary is currently developing Dune 3 with Villeneuve.
Pack your bags for Harvard Law; Legally Blonde is getting a series. Reese Witherspoon will produce this new series for Amazon under her Hello Sunshine banner. The project is currently in the preliminary idea stages. Amazon, which now owns the IP after they acquired MGM, is said to be expanding the Blonde universe with Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (EP, developer: Gossip Girl), writing one such project.
Watch the trailer for the original 2001 film here.
Olivia Wilde found her Angel investor for Avengelyne. Set to be Wilde’s second feature directorial outing after Don’t Worry Darling (2022). Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap (Barbie) has signed on to produce. Avengelyne is based on a comic from the mind of Rob Liefeld, the creator of Deadpool. The premise gets a bit weird: Avengelyne is an angel but has fallen and is cast out by God himself. Now on earth and without her angel powers except for superstrength and blood that can be turned into a weapon, she must defend her new home from an onslaught of demons and prepare for Armageddon.
Neither of the actresses is set to take on the role. Our vote is to bring back Tilda Swinton as a fallen angel (Constantine, clip).
Tyler Perry signed a multi-year first-look deal with Netflix last October. His first series under that deal is the 16-episode 1-hour Beauty in Black.
The full cast has just been announced. Here are the two leads:
- Taylor Polidore Williams (Kimmie)
- Divorce in the Black
- Snowfall
- Crystle Stewart (Mallory)
- Tyler Perry’s The Oval
- Acrimony
Beauty in Black official synopsis:
Two women with contrasting lives become connected. Kimmie fights for survival after her mother forces her out, while Mallory runs a prosperous company.
Tidbit:
Disney’s succession plan. Bob Iger has said his top priority is finding a replacement CEO after his 17 non-consecutive years helming Disney.
Here are 4 possibilities:
- Co-Chair of Disney Entertainment
- Dana Walden
- Alan Bergman
- Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
- Josh D’Amaro
- Chairman ESPN (former president)
- Jimmy Pitaro
The board is also said to be looking outside the company.
THE ACTOR SPOTLIGHT
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Julianne Nicholson stars in A24’s Janet Planet. Nicholson, who gives a sensationally underrated performance in Mare of Eastown, plays Janet.
Here’s the official synopsis:
In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet.
There’s a gravitational force of depression in Nicholson’s relationship with her daughter from both sides that takes it outside the typical mother-and-daughter tale (trailer).
Nicholson has been sensational over the years in August: Osage County (2013) and I, Tonya (2017).
Janet Planet, an official selection at Telluride, Berlin, and NYFF, will have a limited release on June 21 and will play nationwide on June 28th.
The Mindy Kaling project. Over six seasons as solo creator of The Mindy Project (2012-2017), Kaling’s character was all sorts of gloriously debaucherous (S1 trailer). Her snark was infectiously watchable. Kaling is now back in a solo creator role with Hulu’s Murray Hill.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Written by Kaling, the comedy revolves around five work-obsessed twenty-somethings who strive for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness in Manhattan’s most glamorous neighborhood, Murray Hill.
Kaling has recently been great in Ocean’s Eight (2018) as the diamond expert (clip) and Late Night (2019, trailer).
One tidbit:
Halle Bailey (The Color Purple, The Little Mermaid) was just added to the cast of Michel Gondry’s (dir: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) upcoming biopic about Pharrell Williams.
FESTIVALS AND RESOURCES
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Created by filmmakers, for filmmakers, Filmmaker Magazine covers the art and business of the independent film world with a savvy yet accessible insider’s point-of-view.
Filmmaker covers new technologies, both studio and do-it-yourself distribution, and, through its in-depth interviews with the best directors in the business, offers insights into the creative process that are of interest to both filmmakers as well as casual film lovers.
Filmmaker is published by an established, non-profit, filmmaking membership organization, The Gotham Film & Media Institute.
The Gotham celebrates and nurtures independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition.
Click HERE to find out more about Filmmaker Magazine.
TECH SECTION
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Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross are some of the most prolific modern composers.
- The Social Network (2010)
- Academy Award for Best Original Score
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
- Gone Girl (2014)
- Soul (2020)
- Academy Award for the soundtrack
- Bones and All (2022)
- Challengers (2024)
- Dir: Luca Guadagnino
The duo will re-team with Guadagnino for his new film Queer, which stars another previous collaborator Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Here’s a recently released GQ interview with Reznor and Ross deep-diving the challenges of their first composing gig, The Social Network.
And why they almost didn’t take the job.
INDIE FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT
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Pamela Adlon’s debut feature, Babes, is hilarious. Adlon is best known as the on-again-off, again friend/love interest in Louie. She also served as a consulting producer on the series. Now she directs Ilana Glazer in Babes, which has been dubbed the “Bridesmaids of Babymaking.”
Official synopsis:
After becoming pregnant from a one-night stand, Eden (Glazer) leans on her married best friend and mother of two, Dawn, to guide her through gestation and beyond.
The film premiered at SXSW.
The trailer is a hoot. Neon is releasing in theaters on May 17th.
Destin Daniel Cretton launches a new production company, Hisako. The Short Term 12 (2013) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) director will focus Hisako on marginalized stories with the aim of making them mainstream.
Cretton explained:
“Our company, Hisako, is named after my grandma, who gave me my first VHS camera when I was eleven. She was a nurse with the heart of an artist; curious, kind, and fiercely protective of her tribe. Her spirit is the soul of this company.”
Jeyun Munford (former Universal/Lionsgate SVP of production), who will serve as President of the company, stated:
“I’ve always admired Destin’s empathetic approach to filmmaking and his ability to find the hope and humanity in a story. It’s a privilege to join him in building a company that is committed to nurturing a community of singular storytellers and creatives.”
Their first project will be the Naruto, based on the manga series. Cretton is writing and directing for Lionsgate.
Cretton’s sophomore feature Short Term 12 (2013, trailer) still offers one of the rawest looks at teenage unhappiness.
We hope Hisako celebrates those kinds of marginalized stories.
A Hot option. Vendôme Pictures, whose 2021 film CODA won Best Picture, just optioned Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World.
Philippe Rousselet, the founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Vendôme, stated:
“The idea of addressing climate change by focusing on one of the most consequential fires in North America made this story uniquely captivating and impeccably suited to Vendôme’s taste.”
We’re excited to see what type of team Vendôme builds around this project to insulate it from being a pure disaster film.
Tidbit:
Will Dunn, a writer on Disney+’s Ms. Marvel (2022), is getting the deluxe treatment on his 2023 Blacklist script The Peasant.
Fifth Season (Severance) and Thunder Road (Monkey Man, Sicario, John Wick) will produce.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A lone 14th-century shepherd who embarks on a rage-fueled campaign against a group of mercenary knights that ransacked his community, revealing himself to be more than he seems.
Dunn was selected for 20th Century Fox’s Feature Writer Program.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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The Return of the Projectionist is a documentary about a projectionist in a remote mountain area of Azerbaijan whose Soviet-era projector has a blown bulb. The trailer is alluring, perhaps indicative of Cinema Paradiso (1988, trailer).
The Return of the Projectionist was acquired by an international sales agent/distributor, Cat&Docs (Citizenfour).
Tidbit:
Act fast; Portugal has created a 30% cash refund to woo big-budget international projects.
READER SPOTLIGHT
Marchelle Thurman is a New York-based actor, writer, producer, director, and voice-over artist.
Her most recent film, Black White and the Greys, which she co-directed, co-wrote, and acted is now available on Amazon, Tubi, YouTube, and Google Play.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A marriage is put to the test when an interracial couple are forced to quarantine together through the Covid pandemic and ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
You can find the trailer here.
The film garnered 10 awards during its festival run and received distribution through Indie Rights.
If you’d like to be featured in our “readers spotlight,” click here for more information.
ON THIS DAY
1989. NBC’s Late Night With David Letterman becomes 1st network TV show broadcast in Dolby Stereo.
That’s all for the week. See you Monday.
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Written by Gabriel Miller and Spencer Carter.
Editor: Gabriel Miller.
