Motion Picture: Naomie Harris Joins ‘Black Bag,’ Li Jun Li To Star in ‘Alma and the Wolf’
Matt Gomez Hidaka - Gareth Cattermole
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Naomie Harris (Moonlight, Skyfall) has joined the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. A “spy thriller” from Focus Features, the film also stars Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rege-Jean Page, and Marisa Abela. Written by David Koepp, produced by Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs, and directed by Soderbergh, Black Bag is being planned to shoot this spring.
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction, Westworld) has joined the cast of Spike Lee’s English-language re-imagining of Akira Kurosawa’s thriller High and Low. Directed, co-written, and executive produced by Lee, the film also features Denzel Washington and Ilfenesh Hadera in its cast. Lee’s High and Low will globally launch on Apple TV+ after a theatrical release by A24. The film, being produced for Apple Original Films, will begin production this month.
Ari Aster’s upcoming film Eddington has added Matt Gomez Hidaka (Silo) and William Belleau (Killers of the Flower Moon, Fresh) to its cast. Only known to be a Western, the A24 film, which began production this month, is written, directed, and co-produced by Aster. Eddington’s cast also includes Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Austin Butler, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Clifton Collins Jr., Cameron Mann, and Amélie Hoeferle.
Paapa Essiedu and Antonia Thomas are set to star in Craig Roberts’ horror comedy The Scurry. Written by The Mash Report’s Tom Telling, The Scurry follows what begins as a pest control call against vermin. After a deranged squirrel attack, though, survivors are trapped within an eco-café, with situations made more dire by a storm disabling power and communication. Roberts will executive produce the film, with production set to take place in South Wales. Beginning shooting on April 2, The Scurry will be one of the first films to utilize the U.K.’s new Independent Film Tax Credit.
Alex Russell’s directorial debut, the thriller Lurker, will star Théodore Pellerin (Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Genesis) and Archie Madekwe (Saltburn, Gran Turismo). The film follows a retail employee (Pellerin) becoming a part of a rising artist’s (Madekwe) inner circle - which becomes dangerous for the employee. Russell will write and direct the film. His previous work includes serving as a writer on Dave, a writer and consulting producer on The Bear, and serving as a writer and supervising producer on Beef. Set to begin shooting this spring, Lurker also stars Havana Rose Liu, Sunny Suljic, Daniel Zolghadri, and Zack Fox.
Jon M. Chu - Elyse Jankowski
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: According to the film’s director, Jon M. Chu, the first half of the two-part feature adaptation of Wicked features live vocals, as opposed to pre-recordings, from stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Additionally, Chu noted that the stars were okay with performing live despite his warning that, “There’s going to be a lot of wind in your air pipes.” Both stars commented on the physicality each other exhibited while singing, with Grande jumping on chandeliers over Erivo and Erivo being harnessed while singing “Defying Gravity.” The first half of the Wicked adaptation will be released theatrically on Nov. 27.
Amazon Prime Video’s romantic comedy Picture This will star Simone Ashley (Bridgerton, Sex Education) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (After). Picture This follows the head of a failing photography studio (Ashley) in London embarking on blind dates. Based on the Australian film Five Blind Dates, Picture This will premiere on Prime Video in the U.K. and internationally. The film is directed by Prarthana Mohan (The Miseducation of Bindu) and written by Nikita Lalwani, and does not yet have a release date.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves, Cyrano) is set to lead a new Universal feature film, which is rumored to be a coming-of-age musical set in 1977 Virginia Beach. Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers, Rustin) is also in talks to star. The feature is to be directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep), produced by Pharrell Williams (Despicable Me 2, Hidden Figures), and written by Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (Tick, Tick…Boom!). Williams will produce through i am OTHER, while Gil Netter will produce for Gil Netter Productions.
Brenda Hsueh’s high-concept romantic comedy Man’s Best Friend has been preemptively acquired by TriStar Pictures. While the film is in early development and its plot is not yet known, it is rumored that it sports a similar spirit as the 1989 black comedy The War of the Roses. Hsueh will write Man’s Best Friend, in addition to executive producing through her Shoe’s Off Productions banner with her partner Yvonne Cheng.
Lamorne Morris will portray Garrett Morris in the upcoming SNL 1975 film. Backed by extensive interviews with the living cast, writers, and crew of the series’ premiere episode by the film’s writers, Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan, the film focuses on the behind-the-scenes of the October 11, 1975 premiere. Directed by Reitman, SNL 1975 also stars Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Matt Wood as John Belushi, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, and Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, among many others.
Li Jun Li - Dimitrios Kambouris
Drama: C.J. Beckford (Riches) and Maisie Richardson-Sellers (The Originals, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) are set to star in the film Run. Set to explore mental health, the film, according to its director, Bernard Kordieh, explores the relationship between mental health and creativity. Additionally, Kordieh described that the film explores the complexities of relationships that have no “villains.” Set to premiere leading up to the U.K.’s Mental Health Awareness Week in May, Run will afterward be released online. The film also comes from Rashomon Films, with which Kordieh is developing a slate of projects.
Li Jun Li (Babylon, Ricki and the Flash) will star in Michael Patrick Jann’s (Drop Dead Gorgeous, The State) psychological horror-mystery feature Alma and the Wolf. The film follows a police officer (Ethan Embry) pulling himself together during the investigation of a wolf attack when his son goes missing. Currently amid production in Oregon, Alma and the Wolf also stars Jeremie Harris, Lukas Jann, Kevin Allison, Mather Zickel, Beth Malone, Alexandra Doke, and Dana Millican. Michael Patrick Jann will direct and co-produce the film.
Kevin Alves will make his directorial debut with the heist film Lucky Weekend; it is set to star Alexa Barajas, among others. The collaboration will reunite the two actors after their previous work together on Yellowjackets. Written by Alves, the film follows an 18-year-old and his friends attempting to steal back his winning scratch ticket after his best friend steals it. In addition to Alves and Barajas, the film features John Daniel, Agape Mngomezulu, Jack Ettlinger, Alex Ozerov, Luke Hutchie, and Clarice Goetz in its cast. Barajas will also produce the film, which is aiming for a 2025 festival run.
Lovi Poe (Seasons) is set to join Adam Beach in the cast of Garry A. Brown’s Paul Fullerton film. The feature is based on the true story of Native American fire captain Paul Fullerton, who, after being drawn into marijuana and a collision course with a district attorney and his rogue police, was unjustly accused, with his wife Marie, of selling and distributing marijuana. Poe will play Marie in the film. Brown will produce and direct the film, which will be shot in Dallas, Texas, later this year.
The Michael Jackson biopic Michael has added seven new cast members to its cast. The newly announced members are Larenz Tate (Power Book II: Ghost) as Berry Gordy, Kat Graham (Black, White & Blue) as Diana Ross, Jessica Sula (Split) as La Toya Jackson, Liv Symone (Power Book III: Raising Kanan) as Gladys Knight, Kendrick Sampson (Something from Tiffany’s) as Quincy Jones, KeiLyn Durrel Jones (How to Die Alone) as Bill Bray, and Kevin Shinick as Dick Clark. The film is set for a global release on April 18, 2025.
Becca Rodriguez - Mathieu Bitton
Industry Update: The National Film and TV School in Leeds has introduced an intimacy coordinator certificate. The six-month, part-time course has space for 10 students and will offer them 150 hours of comprehensive training. The course was developed in collaboration with U.S., U.K., and Spain coordinators; the course will be headed by intimacy coordinator Haley Muraleedharan. BECTU’s Intimacy Coordinator training branch advises the course, which will begin in May 2024.
Becca Rodriguez has joined Grandview. Continuing her focus from her previous employer Curate as an overseer of books to film, Rodriguez brings clients Rebekah Bergman, Lucie Britsch, Deesha Philyaw, and Oscar Hokeah, among others, to Grandview. Along with Curate, Rodriguez’s previous experience involves work at The Gotham Group and Anonymous Content, where she worked in multiple departments as an assistant.
Jamey Heath has been promoted to CEO of Wayfarer Studios. Working with newly-hired president Tera Hanks, Heath will work to expand the studio’s “Man Enough” podcast platform, in addition to securing distribution for the company’s projects and finding partners that align with the studio’s goals. One of many upcoming projects for the studio is the feature It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name.
OpenAI will be pitching its text-to-video generator, Sora, to studios, talent agencies, and media executives. Sora was recently observed by Tyler Perry, who put an $800 million studio expansion plan on hold afterward. According to OpenAI, the company hopes to roll out AI in phases in order to ensure their safe implementation and to showcase what developments are coming. Specific details on the company’s industry talks, however, are unknown. Sora is expected to be released to the public later this year.
Kevin Hart was honored with the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize in a ceremony that featured Hart being spoken about by industry colleagues. Such colleagues, among others, included Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Regina Hall. Concluding his acceptance speech, Hart discussed his parents’ message that he was a bright kid who could make good decisions. He explained a message - that life is about making the right choices - in his acceptance.
Lily Gladstone, Chloé Zhao, Eva Longoria, and Janicza Bravo will serve as part of the selection committee for the Proof of Concept Accelerator fund. The fund was launched by Stacy L. Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Cate Blanchett and Coco Francini of Dirty Films, with support from the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity. Composed of eight female, transgender, and nonbinary creatives, the selection committee will choose eight filmmakers to be given $50,000 and industry mentorship to make a short film. The fund exists to produce projects about female, transgender, and nonbinary stories. The committee is also composed of Emma Corrin, Greta Gerwig, Jane Campion, and Lilly Wachowski.
