Motion Picture: ‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Begins Production, Pharrell Williams Lego Biopic Announced
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: The trailer for the action film Monkey Man, the directorial debut of Dev Patel, was released. The film comes from an original story by Patel, who co-wrote the script. Inspired by the Hinduism deity Hanuman, the film follows a man, Kid (Patel), who allows himself to be beaten up in a fight club for money. Eventually, Kid becomes a brutal force of opposition against men who wronged him. Coming from Monkeypaw and Universal, Monkey Man is set to be theatrically released on April 5. Patel and Jordan Peele serve as some of the producers of the film.
Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, Miracle Workers) will replace Ayo Edebiri in Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts. Edebiri left the film due to scheduling conflicts after 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Viswanathan joins Thunderbolts cast members Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, among others. Produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Jake Schreier, the film is set to be released in July 2025. Upcoming projects for Viswanathan include Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls and the comedy You’re Cordially Invited for Amazon.
Production on the Paramount+ film Star Trek: Section 31 has begun. The film, executive produced by and starring Michelle Yeoh, focuses on Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou working for the Section 31 organization. Yeoh reprises her role as Georgiou after she began playing the character in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery. Rumors of a Section 31-centered project originated after that first season, with a deleted scene showcasing a Section 31 member approaching Yeoh’s character. The cast of the film also includes Omari Hardwick, Kacey Rohl, Sam Richardson, Sven Ruygrok, Robert Kazinsky, Humberly Gonzalez, and James Hiroyuki Liao.
A sequel to Lifetime’s 2022 film Single Black Female will air on March 2 at 8 p.m. The film, Single Black Female 2: Simone’s Revenge, will feature Amber Riley, Raven Goodwin, and K. Michelle reprising their roles from the first film. The tale will follow half-sisters Monica (Goodwin) and Simone (Riley) three years after the original film; when Simone, suffering from amnesia, remembers her half-sister, the outcome of the two’s eventual meeting hangs in the balance. The sequel’s cast also sports Morgan Alexandria, Christine Horn, and Kendrick Cross.
Corey Hawkins (The Color Purple, In the Heights) will star in Nadia Latif’s directorial debut The Man in My Basement for Andscape, Disney and ESPN’s Black-led content studio. An adaptation of a Walter Mosley novel, the film follows Hawkins’ character, Charles Blakey, being faced with an opportunity to clear his debt; upon engaging in the opportunity, however, Blakey is faced with confronting evil’s roots and trauma. Blakey’s opportunity comes from businessman Anniston Bennet, who will be played by Willem Dafoe. Hawkins will also executive produce the feature, which will explore race. The Man in My Basement will be released on Hulu, which has a partnership with Andscape.
Jenna Ortega (Miller’s Girl, Wednesday) is in talks to join Taika Waititi’s feature adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun. Ishiguro’s novel follows a robot, Klara, who will be played by Ortega in the film. In addition to Ortega, Amy Adams (Vice, The Fighter) is in talks to join the project as a mother who buys Klara for her teenager. TheInsneider first reported the news of Ortega’s involvement; Deadline first reported the news of Adams’.
TikTok comedy star Khaby Lame - the most-followed content creator on the platform - is set to star in a spy action-comedy film. The film, which sports the working title 00Khaby, will showcase Lame as a delivery driver who is recruited by the CIA to act as bait to deceive enemies. The film is to be produced by Perfect Strangers’s Marco Belardi and written by Nicola Guaglianone and Roberto Marchionni (aka Menotti), co-writers of Italy’s They Call Me Jeeg. According to Belardi, he is looking to make the film an international production. 00Khaby will mark Lame’s feature debut.
Alonso Alvarez-Barreda (Snowfall, The Mosquito Coast) has optioned the thriller novel Beneath the Surface to be made into a feature. The novel, written by Kaira Rouda, was a USA Today bestseller, and marks the first entry in the Kingsley Family Series. The novel’s story follows the affluent Kingsley family and the Kingsley children on a weekend voyage, where family deceit is to ensue. In addition to directing the film, Alvarez-Barreda, a Cannes-prize winning filmmaker, will produce the feature alongside Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content. The three creatives previously worked together on the Satanic Panic series Hysteria!
Urban thriller Break the Cycle has added Cuba Gooding Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Vernon Davis, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to its cast. Written by former NBA player Jarnell Stokes, the film follows Jay and Eddie, two brothers who, growing up with their grandmother in Memphis, embark down different life paths: while Jay dreams of being in the NBA, Eddie, who is involved in street crime, threatens to deter Jay’s goal. The film is set to begin production in Memphis in March. Stokes will also produce Break the Cycle, which is to be directed by Never Heard’s Josh Webber.
The action film Novocaine, which is set to begin production in April in South Africa, has been acquired by Paramount. The film is set to star Jack Quaid (The Boys, Oppenheimer) and Amber Midthunder (Prey). In the film, Quaid plays a bank executive who, due to a genetic condition, cannot feel physical pain. After a coworker is kidnapped and his bank is robbed, the executive’s liability becomes a strength. Written by Lars Jacobson, who will also executive produce the film, Novocaine is to be directed by Robert Olsen and Dan Berk. The two previously co-directed Paramount+’s Significant Other.
keke palmer - Frazer Harrison
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: Keke Palmer (Nope, Hustlers) is joining the cast of Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut Good Fortune. Other cast members of the film include Ansari, Keanu Reeves, and Seth Rogen. Palmer’s role in the comedy, which is to be directed, written, produced and executive produced by Ansari, is not yet known. Palmer and Rogen were both set to appear in Ansari’s original directorial debut, Being Mortal, before the film was shut down by Searchlight after cast member Bill Murray’s alleged inappropriate conduct.
Lamorne Morris (season five of Fargo) will portray Garrett Morris in Jason Reitman’s SNL 1975. The film, directed, produced, and co-written by Reitman, will focus on the debut episode of the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, and is based on the writers’ interviews with the living cast, writers and crew of the show. In addition to Morris, other cast members include Dylan O’Brien (Ponyboi) as Dan Aykroyd, Corey Michael Smith (May December) as Chevy Chase, Matt Wood (Spongebob Squarepants on Broadway) as John Belushi, and Rachel Sennott (Bottoms) as Rosie Shuster.
Sofia Vergara has joined the cast of Universal and Illumination’s Despicable Me 4. Vergara will play the girlfriend of Maxime Le Mal, a character voiced by Will Ferrell. Other members joining the cast include Ferrell, Joey King, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, and Madison Poland. The film is directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Patrick Delage, written by Mike White and Ken Daurio, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman. Despicable Me 4 will release on July 3.
Pharrell Williams is making a biopic about his life through Lego animation. The film, Piece By Piece, coming from Williams, Focus Features, The Lego Group, and Morgan Neville, will release in theaters on October 11. According to Neville, who will direct the film, Williams approached him with the idea five years ago. Among other producers, Neville and Williams will produce the project.
The worldwide sales rights of Worth the Wait have been acquired by The Exchange. Starring the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise’s Lana Condor and Peaky Blinders’ Andrew Koji, the romantic comedy follows the intertwining of two Asian-Americans’ lives across the course of a year, with the film set in Seattle and Kuala Lumpur. Worth the Wait is currently in post-production, with The Exchange planning to showcase the film at the European Film Market in Berlin in February. Among others, the film also stars the Shazam! franchise’s Ross Butler, Raya and the Last Dragon’s Sung Kang, and The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Elodie Young. In addition to starring, Condor and Koji are executive producing.
The domestic rights to The Prank have been acquired by Iconic Events. Directed by Maureen Bharoocha (Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin) and written by Rebecca Flinn-White (Period’s Big Adventure), the film follows two students’ - an overachiever (Connor Kalopsis) and a slacker (Ramon Young) - plan to frame their strict physics teacher (Rita Moreno) for murder. The Prank will be released theatrically on approximately 200 screens on March 15.
Sean Wang - IMDB
Drama: Katherine Jackson will be portrayed by Nia Long (Friday, You People) in the biopic Michael. She joins cast members Colman Domingo and Jaafar Jackson, who will be portraying Joe Jackson and an adult Michael, respectively. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan, and produced by Graham King, John Branca, and John McClain, is set for a theatrical release on April 18, 2025.
The global rights of Sean Wang’s Dìdi have been acquired by Focus Features. The acquisition comes after the film won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and Wang’s Oscar nomination for his documentary short film Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó. Dìdi, starring Izaac Wang, Joan Chen, Shirley Chen, and Chang Li Hua, focuses on a teenage Taiwanese American boy in the 2008 Bay Area. The film is the first theatrical release for Carlos López Estrada’s Antigravity Academy production company, one focused on providing opportunities for up-and-coming filmmakers.
Naomi Baker and Da’Vinchi will star in the indie romantic drama Hard Feelings. The film will be the feature debut of writer-director Jo Hatcher, with the film having been selected for Gotham Week 2022 and the 2021 Sundance Screenwriters Intensive. The film’s story follows a high school senior (Baker) who embarks on a road trip with her ex-boyfriend (Da’Vinchi) to face an important decision. The film will be produced by Reform Media Group’s Deniese Davis, who also founded the company ColorCreative, which is devoted to helping diverse creators. Hard Feelings will begin production in early February in Atlanta.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures is developing I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, after the project was previously in development at Netflix. The film, which will mark America Ferrera’s (Superstore, Barbie) directorial debut, is based on the bestselling novel by Erika Sánchez, who will also executive produce the film. It follows teenager Julia Reyes, who seeks to break away from her family in Chicago, who compares her to her late sister, Olga. While learning more about Olga, Julia learns about her family’s wounds. Deadline first reported the news.
Windcatcher, directed by Tanith Glynn-Maloney, is marking the leading film role return of Jessica Mauboy, after the actor had not been in such a role in over a decade. The film, which is directed by Glynn-Maloney and written by Boyd Quakawoot, follows the friendship between Percy Boy, Keithy Cobb, and Daisy Hawkins. When the three go up against bullies for the school sports day title, Percy Boy discovers his inherited ability to see lost souls. In the film, Mauboy will play Aunty Cressida. The film will release on Stan, the Australia-only streamer, on March 28; Windcatcher is being billed as an Original for the streamer.
Teyana Taylor has joined the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film, which Anderson will write and direct. For her role in A Thousand and One, Taylor received a National Board of Review Award for breakthrough performance. Recently, Taylor starred in The Book of Clarence and 2023’s White Men Can’t Jump. Anderson’s film is being made for Warner Bros. and is currently untitled. In addition to writing and directing, he will produce the film with Sara Murphy and Adam Somner. The casting news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Documentary: A trailer for the Disney+ documentary Madu has been released. The documentary follows 12-year-old Anthony Madu as he leaves Nigeria to attend the Elmhurst Ballet School in the United Kingdom. The doc chronicles Anthony’s journey navigating the challenges that he is faced with. The documentary comes after a ballet video of Madu went viral on the internet in 2020. Madu is led by Matt Ogens and Kachi Benson, and will be released on Disney+ on March 29 after a premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on February 7.
Steph and Ayesha Curry will produce a documentary, Sentenced, about childhood illiteracy. Steph Curry will also narrate the documentary, which will be formed around stories of diverse children and adults who never learned to read. In addition to the Currys, producers of the documentary include creatives from It Matters and Children’s Literacy Project, Unanimous Media, and Eat. Learn. Play., the Currys’ foundation. It is hoped that the documentary will use a QR code at its close to inform its audiences of a “teach a kid to read” initiative via local volunteer opportunities. Eat. Learn. Play., Unanimous Media, and Children’s Literacy Project will screen the documentary in Oakland.
Netflix has acquired the Sundance documentary Daughters after the documentary’s award wins at the festival. The documentary focuses on the Date With Dad Program, which organizes a father-daughter dance between daughters and their incarcerated fathers in a Washington, D.C., prison. Daughters is directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae; Patton is the CEO of the nonprofit Girls for a Change, which began the father-daughter program. In addition to Daughters, other recent Sundance projects acquired by Netflix include the documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story and the horror It’s What’s Inside.
Industry Update: Monkeypaw is partnering with TIFF and the Universal Filmmakers Project to uplift up-and-coming filmmakers under their “No Drama” initiative. The initiative will pick up to six new coming writer-directors to produce shorts; the participants will be given $50,000 grants to produce the shorts, exposure to the production process, and networking opportunities, in addition to having the opportunity for their shorts to be screened at TIFF 2025. Furthermore, the initiative offers participants the potential for their shorts to be developed into features.
Mercedes Mason (Fear the Walking Dead, Three Veils) has signed with Silver Lining Entertainment. The actress has appeared in the series The Rookie, NCIS: Los Angeles, Entourage, and The Finder, among others. In addition to Three Veils, Mason also starred in the horror film Red Sands.
Julius Tennon and Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions is partnering with Black and Japanese-led media company N LITE to produce afro-anime films. The first feature from the partnership will be Mfinda, a Congolese folklore-inspired fantasy film. The film comes from Congolese-American artist Patience Leiken and N LITE founder Christiano Terry. Mfinda’s screenplay was written by Donald H. Hewitt, Leiken, and Terry, with Mika Abe writing the Japanese screenplay. The film is set to be co-directed by D’ART Shtajio’s Arthell Isom. Among other producers, GKIDS will help produce Mfinda. Additionally, the partnership will produce manga, graphic novels, and merchandise.
According to the BFI, the United Kingdom’s film and high-end TV spendings fell to $5.3B in 2023. While BFI and U.K. executives referenced 2023’s American entertainment industry strikes in reference to the country’s trends, the U.K. saw a slight increase in cinema admissions. The U.K. independent entertainment industry was also affected, with spend on those types of films falling by 11%.
Actor Carl Weathers has passed away at the age of 76. Starring as Apollo Creed in the first four films in the Rocky franchise, Weathers also starred in 1987’s Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler. Other collaborations with Sandler include Little Nicky and Eight Crazy Nights, Sandler’s animated Hanukkah comedy. Recently, Weathers provided his voice for Toy Story 4 and appeared in Disney+’s The Mandalorian, for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Additionally, Weathers directed two episodes of the Star Wars series.
Sam Masaru Sekoff has joined Entertainment 360 from Range Media Partners. At Entertainment 360, Sekoff will work as a manager in the literary department. In addition to Range Media Partners, Sekoff has past experience at The Gersh Agency, where he became an agent in the television department. Among many others, his clients include Sebastian Silva, Rachel Lambert, Phillip Youmans, and Elise Brown.
Evette Vargas and Ricardo Reyes are launching Indigo Reign Films, a Los Angeles-based full-service production company focusing on stories with social impact and multicultural representation. The company will participate within a host of mediums, including film, television, podcasts, and interactive gaming, among others. Some projects for the company include the action-drama The Mara, the musical Beats of Fire, and the half-hour comedy Daddy Issues. Indigo Reign Films’ projects will be produced across the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain, and Latin America.
