Motion Picture: ‘Trigger Warning’ Trailer Released, ‘My Fault: London’ Coming From Amazon Prime Video
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: The trailer for the action film Trigger Warning was released. The feature follows a Special Forces commando seeking answers about her father’s mysterious passing in her hometown, and the conflict she encounters there. The film stars Jessica Alba, Mark Webber, Anthony Michael Hall, Jake Weary, Kaiwi Lyman, and Hari Dhillon. Set to premiere on Netflix on June 21, Trigger Warning is directed by Mouly Surya, produced by Erica Lee, Basil Iwanyk, and Esther Hornstein, and written by John Brancato, Josh Olson, and Halley Gross.
Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms/The Bear) will star in After the Hunt, from Amazon MGM Studios. The thriller follows a college professor facing the possibility of something from her past resurfacing; additionally, her colleague faces an accusation. Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield are also set to star in the film, which will be directed and produced by Luca Guadagnino. After the Hunt is also produced by Brian Grazer and Allan Mandelbaum, and written by Nora Garrett, who also executive produces. The feature is set to begin production in the summer of 2024 and release theatrically in 2025. Other upcoming projects for Edebiri include Inside Out 2, Omni Loop, and Opus.
Felix Solis (Unfrosted/The Rookie) will star in the horror film The Necklace. Set in 1960, the feature follows a woman and her daughters after a divorce; when the woman’s ex-husband attempts to win her back with a necklace, the family is thrown into turmoil - the necklace is possessed by the spirit of a young boy. The feature is directed by Juan Pablo Arias Munoz, produced by Daniel Aspromonte and Christina Moore, and written by John Ducey. Also starring are Jacob Moran, Madeleine McGraw, and Violet McGraw; Madeleine and Violet McGraw also executive produce. Solis will play Detective Callahan in The Necklace, which began production in Atlanta in May. Other upcoming projects for the actor include The Friend and the second season of The Recruit.
RSVP premiered on BET+ in May. The action thriller follows an author attempting to escape a dangerous dinner party. RSVP comes from Lux Angeles Studios, Movies by Misfits, Safier Entertainment, and PhilaDreams Films, and stars Natasha Marc (Mayor of Kingstown), Robert Ri’chard (House of Wax/Coach Carter), Jhone Y. Lucas, and Phrederic Semaj. The feature was written and directed by Thomas Walton, co-written by Quinn Early, and produced by Walton, Damien Douglas, Matthew Macur, Jared Safier, and Lenny Vitulli.
Page Kennedy (The Meg franchise/The Upshaws) has joined the cast of the horror film The Breed. A reimagining of the original feature that was directed by Nicholas Mastandrea and produced by Wes Craven, The Breed focuses on terror ensuing when a group embarks on a remote island expedition to search for abandoned dogs. In the film, Kennedy will provide comedic relief as the country-rapper Farmer John. The reimagining is directed and produced by Nathan and Griff Furst, while its international rights have been acquired by Daro Film Distribution, which co-produces and finances the feature.
Randall Park (Always Be My Maybe/WandaVision), Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight/Fargo), Zack Gottsagen (The Peanut Butter Falcon), Julia Fox (Uncut Gems), Eli Roth (Inglourious Basterds/The Idol), and Michael Kelly (House of Cards/Jack Ryan) have joined the cast of Night Always Comes. Based on Willy Vlautin’s novel The Night Always Comes, the feature, set over a single night, follows a woman on a dangerous journey to secure herself and her brother a future. The feature is directed by Benjamin Caron (The Crown/Andor), written by Sarah Conradt (Mother’s Instinct), and produced by Vanessa Kirby, Lauren Dark, Benjamin and Jodie Caron, Gary Levinsohn, and Billy Hines. Kirby also stars in the film and developed the project for two years; it will be the first feature from her and Dark’s Aluna Entertainment. Netflix acquired the film due to its first-look deal with the company. Night Always Comes is currently shooting in Portland.
Kaja Chan (1899), Asa Ali (Euphoria), Dane Whyte O’Hara (Darklands), Danny Mac (Hollyoaks), Boadicea Ricketts (Grantchester), Cel Spellman (White Lines), and Molly Belle Wright (Deep Water) have joined the cast of Black Box (Flight 298). The supernatural thriller follows the events surrounding the titular flight, on its way from New Orleans to Seattle, and is based on the short story The Vessel. Black Box (Flight 298) is written by Stephen Susco (The Grudge/Texas Chainsaw 3D), directed by Steven Quale (Into the Storm/Final Destination 5), and produced by Susco, Alex Lebovici (Barbarian/Boy Kills World), Jon Oakes (Drive/The Guilty), Christian Mercuri and David Haring (Bill and Ted Face the Music), and Warren Zide (The Final Destination/American Pie). The actors’ roles in the film are unknown.
Eva Logoria - Samir Hussein
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: The rights to The Duel have been acquired by Lionsgate and Grindstone Entertainment; the rights extend to North America and all other English-speaking and Latin American areas. The feature follows two friends dueling each other after a betrayal. The Duel features Denny Love (Looking for Alaska), María Gabriela de Faría (the upcoming Superman), Dylan Sprouse (Beautiful Disaster), who also executive produces, Callan McAuliffe (The Walking Dead), Patrick Warburton (Family Guy), Hart Denton (Riverdale), Rachel Matthews (Frozen II), Christian McGaffney (Simón), and Ronald Guttman (Broadway’s Patriots) in its cast, and is written and directed by Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts. The feature is produced by Zachary Spicer, Gordon Strain, Justin Matthews, and Joe Matthews, with Pigasus Pictures producing principal photography. Lionsgate and Iconic Releasing will release The Duel in July.
Eva Longoria (Land of Women/Desperate Housewives), Jason Schwartzman (Megalopolis/The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Joan Chen (Murder at the End of the World), Devery Jacobs (Echo/Reservation Dogs), Havana Rose Liu (Power Ballad/Bottoms), and Maude Apatow (Little Shop of Horrors/Euphoria) have joined the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ Oh. What. Fun. Danielle Brooks is set to cameo in the holiday comedy, which follows a family’s matriarch disappearing in the middle of a Christmas activity she planned, leaving her family’s holiday in crisis. Based on Chandler Baker’s short story, which Amazon Original Stories published, the feature is directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), written by Showalter and Baker, and produced by Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Berry Welsh, Jane Rosenthal, and Kate Churchill. Oh. What. Fun. is currently shooting in Atlanta; the cast’s roles in the film are not yet known.
ZOE SALDANA -MIKE MARSLAND
Drama: My Fault: London is coming from Amazon Prime Video. The feature is an adaptation of the first book in Mercedes Ron’s Culpables trilogy, Culpa Mia; there has previously been a successful Spanish film adaptation of the same novel. My Fault: London follows a young woman, Noah, adjusting to a new life in London after she moves there with her mother, and the romance that blossoms between her and Nick, the son of her mother’s lover. However, Noah’s father, recently released from prison, is tracking her. The film stars Asha Banks (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), Matthew Broome (The Buccaneers), Eve Macklin (Brooklyn), and Ray Fearon (Barbie), among others. My Fault: London has wrapped production in the U.K. and will release exclusively on Amazon Prime Video; the feature is directed by Dani Girdwood and Charlotte Fassler, written by Melissa Osborne (Change), and produced by Ben Pugh and Erica Steinberg.
Daddy Changed the World, a biopic about George Floyd, is coming from Radar Pictures, 8 Queens Film & Media Productions, and Night Fox Entertainment. According to a press release, the film will be more akin to a “gritty drama” than a traditional biopic. There is not yet a director attached to Daddy Changed the World, but the film will be written by Gregory R. Anderson (Stomp the Yard) and produced by Ted Field, Dr. Kaeita Rankin, and Timothy Christian. Floyd’s daughter, Gianna Floyd, and her mother, Roxie Washington, will executive produce.
Netflix is nearing a deal to acquire the U.S. and U.K. rights to Emilia Pérez. While the deal may not come to fruition, it is reportedly worth approximately $12 million and may include rights in areas outside of the U.S. and U.K., as well. Emilia Pérez focuses on a lawyer (Zoe Saldaña) being approached by a drug cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help him complete a sex change operation; his wife (Selena Gomez) is unsuspecting. The feature comes from Jacques Audiard, who, including Emilia Pérez, has had six features compete at the Cannes Film Festival. Emilia Pérez premiered there and has since received widespread positive reviews.
Filmoption International has acquired the international sales rights, sans Canada, for We Forgot to Break Up. Based on Kayt Burgess’s book Heidegger Stairwell, the feature, set in the 2000s indie music scene, follows the forming of the band “The New Normals” by a diverse group of musicians, and the relationships and complexities that arise between the band’s members. Featuring Lane Webber (Slo Pitch), Daniel Gravelle (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), and June Laporte (You Can Live Forever) in its cast, the feature will premiere in the U.S. at Frameline in June. We Forgot to Break Up is directed by Karen Knox (The Year of Staring at Noses), written by Noel S. Baker, Zoe Whittall, and Pat Mills, and produced by Nicole Hilliard-Forde. Filmoption launched sales of the film at Cannes.
Monsanto has been acquired by Netflix. The feature follows the true story of a court case against the Monsanto chemical company by a lawyer (Glen Powell) on behalf of a groundskeeper (Anthony Mackie) who used Monsanto’s Roundup product as part of his job. During the trial, the chemical company’s chief toxicologist (Laura Dern) testifies to Roundup’s safety. Monsanto is directed by John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks/The Blind Side), written by Hancock, Michael Wisner, and Alexandra Duparc, and produced by Moritz Borman, Eric Kopeloff, Jon Levin, Philip Schulz-Deyle, Adam McKay, and Kevin Messick. The Netflix deal was negotiated by CAA, which represented Monsanto’s U.S. rights.
Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Oleksandr Usyk will make his acting debut in The Smashing Machine. Set in 2000, the feature follows the struggles of former wrestler and MMA champion Mark Kerr, who will be portrayed by Dwayne Johnson; Usyk will portray mixed martial artist Igor Vovchanchyn in the film. The Smashing Machine is written, produced, and directed by Benny Safdie. Johnson, Eli Bush, David Koplan, and A24 also produce; additionally, A24 finances the film.
After 2019’s Knives Out and 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Knives Out series creator Rian Johnson has revealed the title for its third installment: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. While the plot of the film is unknown, Daniel Craig will return as detective and series protagonist Benoit Blanc. Set to premiere in 2025, the third installment is written, produced, and directed by Johnson, with Ram Bergman also producing. Production is set to begin soon.
Native American media alliance
Industry Update: The 4th Annual Native American Writers Seminar fellows have been revealed by the Native American Media Alliance and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The two-month program, in part, offers indigenous writers script workshops and mentorship from past participants of programs offered by the Native American Media Alliance. The five fellows, and some of their accomplishments and/or projects they have worked on or created, are Laura Casey (Twisters/Love and Death), Sean-Joseph Takeo Kahāokalani Choo (The HI Way/Imi Ā Loa’a: Search and Find), Cody Schlegel (author of the novels Odyssey Tale and Junction), Teotl Veliz (Red West/The Tragedy of Terminal Island), and Amanda WouldGo (a fellow of the NAMA Animation Lab).
Anita Gou spoke on Kindred Spirit, discussing the company’s evolution from purely financing projects to expanding into producing work. The company has been working to balance itself between U.S. and international projects. Regarding U.S. projects, Kindred Spirit is creating a reimagining of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, which will star Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang and release theatrically in 2025. Regarding international projects, the company’s feature Locust played in Critics’ Week at Cannes. To Gou, Locust, a four-way co-production between the U.S., Taiwan, France, and Qatar, offers Taiwan global representation. Gou also spoke on her wanting to preserve the library of titles from Taiwan’s oldest film studio, Central Motion Picture Corporation, and Kindred Spirit’s first investment in a theater production. That production is an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Grey starring Sarah Snook; the production will premiere on Broadway in 2025.
Horror writer Akela Cooper discussed her approach to her work. Writing 2022’s M3GAN and 2021’s Malignant, Cooper innovates the B-movie genre, and cited her belief that the reason the aforementioned two features resonated with audiences was because of their “fun” elements. Additionally, Cooper spoke on working as a Black woman in the horror industry, saying that women working in horror goes against societal stereotypes. Cooper also discussed that, when pitching projects to white executives, she doesn’t always feel that projects with Black leads need to include social issues or societal commentary; rather, there can be movies with Black leads that act as escapist stories.
With Lionsgate and Lionsgate Studios planning to split, the former may make lower-budget movies for Starz. Recently, Lionsgate Studios became a publicly traded company; the next step in a separation of the company would involve the studio being given to shareholders. A committee to determine the intricacies of such a transaction has been authorized by the board of Lionsgate Entertainment. Should the studio be partly given to the shareholders, the company’s A and B stocks would collapse.
