Motion Picture: ‘The Killer’s Game’ Trailer Released, ‘Straw’ Cast Announced
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Tony Todd spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on voicing Venom in the video game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. To portray the Spider-Man villain, Todd avoided watching past performances of the character in film, wanting to make the character his own; he remarked that working on the voice work for the game was challenging but enjoyable. Todd also discussed working on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Visitor.” Portraying an older version of the character Jake Sisko in the episode, Todd explained that the character’s mannerisms were modeled after his late aunt.
The trailer for the action-comedy The Killer’s Game was released. The feature follows an assassin (Dave Bautista) who, discovering he has a terminal illness, asks to become a target himself. When he discovers, though, that there was a mistake at the medical office and he is not terminally ill, he is forced to face the assassins after him. From Lionsgate, The Killer’s Game is based on Jay R. Bonansinga’s novel of the same name, and is directed by JJ Perry and produced by Andrew Lazar, Steve Richards, and Kia Jam. Bautista also executive produces the film, which will theatrically release on Sept. 13.
Michael B. Jordan, who will star with Will Smith in the sequel to 2007’s I Am Legend, spoke on the sequel’s development. The film is being written by Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the 2007 film; that film follows Smith’s character, Robert Neville, facing off against mutated humans after a man-made plague outbreak. While Jordan mentioned that the script is still being worked on and that he is not sure when filming will begin, he said that he is excited to star with Smith. Earlier, Smith confirmed that the sequel will adhere to the DVD ending of the original film, in which Neville survives; the character died in the theatrical version of the film.
Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me/Everything Now) is confirmed to star in the adaptation of the video game Watch Dogs. Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes/Billy the Kid) is also confirmed to star. The video game series follows hackers combatting oppressive forces; its adaptation, coming from New Regency, is directed by Mathieu Turi, written by Christie LeBlanc with revisions by Victoria Bata, and produced by Yariv Milchan, Natalie Lehmann, and Margaret Boykin.
Jessica Henwick (Cuckoo/Royal Hotel) has joined the cast of Huntington. Written and directed by John Patton Ford, the feature follows an heir to an extremely wealthy fortune stopping at nothing to get what he thinks he deserves. The feature comes from Blueprint Pictures, A24, and Studiocanal, which is fully financing the film; it is inspired by a film in Studiocanal’s comedy library, Kind Hearts and Coronets. Recent projects for Henwick include the 2022 Netflix films Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and The Gray Man.
Whitney Peak (the Gossip Girl reboot/Hocus Pocus 2) will star in an upcoming thriller film from Sony Pictures. While specifics about the plot are not known, it is said to be about a community facing shark attacks during a hurricane. The feature will be directed by Tommy Wirkola (Violent Night) and produced by Adam McKay and Kevin Messick; it will begin filming in July in Melbourne. Another upcoming project for Peak is the action film Trap House.
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary/Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) and Anderson .Paak (Grown-ish/Trolls World Tour) have joined the cast of Universal’s upcoming musical film. The film’s plot is unknown, but it has been reported as a coming-of-age film set in 1977 Virginia Beach, focusing on an area in the city where the film’s producer, Pharrell Williams, grew up. The musical will be directed by Michel Gondry, produced by Williams, Mimi Valdés, and Gil Netter, and written by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson. Neither Brunson’s nor .Paak’s roles in the film are known.
Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) will star in the romantic comedy There She Goes. The feature follows the possible rekindling romance between a bar owner (Ambudkar) and his high school sweetheart (Rachael Leigh Cook) when she returns to their hometown after becoming a television star; the two have not seen each other in over two decades. Loosely inspired by Cook’s life, There She Goes is directed by Charles Hood, written by Hood and Seth Goldsmith, and produced by Ben’s Sister Productions, Choice Films, Fox Entertainment Studios, Summer Crockett Moore, and Tony Glazer. Ambudkar will executive produce the film, which has begun production in New York.
Hong Chau (The Whale) and Tosin Cole (Supacell) will star in the comedy Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie. The feature follows sheep who attempt to solve the murder of their shepherd; based on Leonie Swann’s novel, it is directed by Kyle Balda (Minions: The Rise of Gru/Despicable Me 3) in his live-action directorial debut, written by Craig Mazin (The Last of Us/Chernobyl), and produced by Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner. The film will release theatrically on Feb. 20, 2026.
Drama: Straw, a Netflix feature being helmed by Tyler Perry, will star Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Glynn Turman, Sinbad, Rockmond Dunbar, and Mike Merrill. The feature follows a single mother facing unfortunate events and finding herself in an unexpected situation. Set to shoot in Atlanta, Perry writes and directs the feature, which is produced by himself, Angi Bones, and Tony Strickland. Straw is one of multiple features to come from a first-look deal between Perry and Netflix.
La Monte Edwards (Power Book IV: Force) is writing a film about Kenny Washington, the first Black NFL player who was a running back for the Los Angeles Rams. The feature will focus on the triumphs and hardships Washington, who holds a Rams record, faced before debuting with the team; his joining them in the 1940s went against the NFL’s unwritten ban on black players. The feature will be produced by Adam Scott Epstein, Cottrell B. Guidry, Evan Silverberg, Darin Friedman, and Guymon Casady.
Kit Zauhar (This Closeness/Actual People) will direct the adaptation of Sheila Heti’s novel How Should a Person Be? The feature focuses on a young artist questioning her life path after forming a new friendship. The adaptation comes from Neon Heart Productions (Shiva Baby/Give Me Pity!), a film company focused on supporting female filmmakers; the company previously worked with Zauhar on This Closeness.
Documentary: The international rights, sans North America and Latin America, to the documentary State of Silence have been acquired by Begin Again Films; the trailer for the documentary was also released. The documentary follows four journalists in Mexico and the dangers of their work, focusing on freedom of the press in the country. The project is produced by Santiago Maza, Diego Luna, and production house La Corriente del Golfo that Luna co-runs with Gael García Bernal. State of Silence will premiere simultaneously at the Tribeca and Guadalajara Film Festivals.
Industry Update: Camila Mendes (Riverdale/Do Revenge) and Rachel Matthews (the Happy Death Day franchise/Frozen II) have launched the production company Honor Role. The company will have a production and development fund through a partnership with development and financing company Tricky Knot. Mendes and Matthews will produce and sometimes star in Honor Role’s projects; the first feature that they will produce under the production company is Griffin in Summer, which follows a teen who is attempting to produce a play and the “unforgettable summer” he has. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6.
HarbourView Equity CEO and founder Sherrese Clarke Soares spoke on the industry. Speaking on Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast, Soares pointed out that content costs have not lowered even with advanced technology, noting that the entertainment community has to “start thinking about how we do more with less.” Clarke Soares mentioned that the industry must find ways to provide content to audiences in ways that are cheaper, quicker, and more cost effective. The HarbourView Equity executive did mention that the “fundamental economic infrastructure and scaffolding” of the industry is not changing, but that the marketing of content must become more “surgical.”
Michelle Obama, Regina King, Dwyane Wade, and Ricky Martin attended the 7th annual CAA Amplify summit. Organized by CAA executives and agents, the summit, which brings together brands, artists, and leaders of color, discusses ways to “accelerate transformational change in rooms of leadership and popular culture.” According to CAA’s Natalie Tran, the summit brings together those in multiple industries to “inform, strategize, and take action to create a more optimistic future.” Other attendees at the 2024 summit included Lee Sung Jin, Jon Batiste, and Errin Haines.
Five Alamo Drafthouse franchised locations in Texas and one franchised location in Minnesota closed after their owner, Two is One, One is None, LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Two is One, One is None, LLC mentioned in a press release that they had spent more than $3.5 million in 2023 and attempted to cut costs but, in a memo to employees, said that they lost over $1 million in the same year. Two is One, One is None, LLC also cited the end of 2023 and first quarter of 2024 as quarters in which economic performance across the industry was low, and 2024 as the worst performing quarter in the history of movie-going. Despite the immediate closures of the six locations, an Alamo Drafthouse spokesman mentioned plans to reinstall Alamo Drafthouse locations in those areas and plans for nationwide expansion. 35 Alamo Drafthouse locations still remain operational.
Talks between IATSE and studios are still ongoing. While it has been reported that a compromise has been reached regarding artificial intelligence, agreements were not made regarding a health and pension plan shortfall and wage increases. IATSE is also advocating for a new residual from shows that are made-for-streaming. The union has recently been negotiating on the Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement; its contract, and those for the Basic Crafts, expires on July 31. The unions have agreed that their expiration dates will not be extended.
Launching an office in New York, DDA has brought on Dan Salerno as the senior director of strategy and operations there, while Laura Hernando has become DDA’s head of social in London. Previously, Salerno has experience at the creative agency Ralph, while Hernando’s previous work includes time at We Are Social and M&C Saatchi. Hernando once had her own agency, Social Life, before it was bought by Jellyfish, where she worked as the VP of creative social.
A new development fund has been orchestrated at Atomic Features, the production company co-founded by Dennis Lee and Daniel Ragussis. The company’s fund will use methods Ragussis developed through Notes for Execs, an industry workshop designed to support the note-giving process between executives and screenwriters, that Ragussis founded. Atomic Features’ fund will have directors board projects first, before grouping directors with writers, as opposed to having written projects waiting for directors to attach themselves. Three features coming from the fund are Breed, a Korean-American reimagining of Rosemary’s Baby, the disaster thriller Black Tuesday, and the thriller The Oasis.
The Writers Guild of Great Britain’s “Putting Writers at the Heart of the Story” document has raised demands for the United Kingdom’s government. In part, the document asks for fair remuneration, such as royalties and residuals, for creators, action to be taken to deter freelance writers getting paid late, and AI-generated content to be explicitly labeled. Regarding AI, the document also raised the possibility of a new regulatory body needing to be created to monitor and limit the technology. The United Kingdom’s general election will occur on July 4.
Adi Shankar and Bootleg Universe Media Productions have signed with WME for representation. Known for creating IP-focused shorts on YouTube, Shankar has been involved with multiple projects at Netflix. His work there includes executive producing the series Castlevania and Castlevania: Nocturne, creating the animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, and creating the series Guardians of Justice. Shankar is currently creating and executive producing a series adaptation of the Devil May Cry games at the streamer.
The PGA’s 14th annual Produced By conference addressed topics such as artificial intelligence and concerns with deepfake technology. Ghaith Mahmood, a partner at Latham & Watkins who specializes in AI-related legal issues, discussed current content copyright protection, while I2A2 Technologies, Labs & Studios president and Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers president Renard T. Jenkins mentioned that the entertainment industry must ensure that any AI features used are based on “clean” large-language model data bases. Revelations Entertainment CEO and former PGA president Lori McCreary mentioned her concerns with discerning deepfake technology. According to Jenkins, industry organizations are developing a tracking system designed to verify content authorship and integrity.
Kerry Washington and Patty Jenkins spoke at the Through Her Lens: The Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program luncheon. Both Washington and Jenkins served on the event’s advisory committee at Tribeca Festival. Washington mentioned that situations in which women filmmakers are not being brought onto projects are being prevented, as they are being fostered and supported. Jenkins voiced that the program helps developing creatives. Furthermore, the director of the Wonder Woman duology advised those listening to believe in themselves and their voices.
Idris Elba spoke on villainous characters and his approach to choosing characters. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Elba said that acting as a villain who is socially unacceptable can be both a gift and act as therapy. When looking at an interesting villain, Elba mentioned that one will think of the writer who created them; he also mentioned that, when choosing characters, he doesn’t have a specific approach to doing so but considers certain aspects of the roles. Those aspects include whether or not the role is something he has done before and his ability to “disappear” in it. Elba has portrayed villains in 2021’s The Harder They Fall and 2015’s Beasts of No Nation, among other projects.
