Universal Pictures has set a May 15, 2026 wide release date for an as yet untitled event film to be directed by Steven Spielberg and written by David Koepp, based on Spielberg’s story.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Universal Pictures has set a May 15, 2026 wide release date for an as yet untitled event film to be directed by Steven Spielberg and written by David Koepp, based on Spielberg’s story.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
No further details about the project were provided, though it has been reported that Spielberg and Koepp have been developing a film about UFOs.
As the 2026 calendar currently stands, the Spielberg project is the only wide release set for May 15.
Koepp previously wrote scripts for Spielberg films including 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2005’s War Of The Worlds and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
- 5/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
Neon has bought North American rights to “The Unknown” (“L’Inconnue”), the hotly anticipated next movie from “Anatomy of a Fall”’s Oscar-winning co-writer Arthur Harari.
As revealed by Variety earlier this week, the movie will star Léa Seydoux (“Dune 2”) and is being represented in international markets. Harari is rolling off of “Anatomy of a Fall” which he co-wrote with director Justine Triet, abd won an Oscar, two Golden Globes, a BAFTA and the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s president of acquisitions and production Jeff Deutchman with producer Nicolas Anthomé on behalf of the filmmakers, and marks Neon’s second collaboration with Harari following last year’s “Anatomy of a Fall” which Neon acquired out of Cannes in 2023 before it won the Palme d’Or for that year. This deal further cements Neon’s commitment to bringing top-of-the-line international cinema to U.
As revealed by Variety earlier this week, the movie will star Léa Seydoux (“Dune 2”) and is being represented in international markets. Harari is rolling off of “Anatomy of a Fall” which he co-wrote with director Justine Triet, abd won an Oscar, two Golden Globes, a BAFTA and the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s president of acquisitions and production Jeff Deutchman with producer Nicolas Anthomé on behalf of the filmmakers, and marks Neon’s second collaboration with Harari following last year’s “Anatomy of a Fall” which Neon acquired out of Cannes in 2023 before it won the Palme d’Or for that year. This deal further cements Neon’s commitment to bringing top-of-the-line international cinema to U.
- 5/17/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Neon has picked up North American rights to The Unknown, the next feature from Anatomy of a Fall writer Arthur Harari.
Léa Seydoux is set to star in the film, which Neon has said it will release in U.S. and Canadian theaters in 2026. Harari also serves as director on the pic, which will be produced by bathysphere, with Pathé co-producing and selling the film internationally in Cannes.
The Unknown is the third feature both written and directed by Harari. His previous feature as writer-director was 2021’s critically acclaimed Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle which opened Un Certain Regard at Cannes that year and went on to win the Best Original Screenplay César. He wrote the screenplay for Sibyl (2019), directed by Justine Triet, which was in the Official Competition at Cannes that year.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s President of Acquisitions & Production Jeff Deutchman with producer Nicolas Anthomé...
Léa Seydoux is set to star in the film, which Neon has said it will release in U.S. and Canadian theaters in 2026. Harari also serves as director on the pic, which will be produced by bathysphere, with Pathé co-producing and selling the film internationally in Cannes.
The Unknown is the third feature both written and directed by Harari. His previous feature as writer-director was 2021’s critically acclaimed Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle which opened Un Certain Regard at Cannes that year and went on to win the Best Original Screenplay César. He wrote the screenplay for Sibyl (2019), directed by Justine Triet, which was in the Official Competition at Cannes that year.
The deal was negotiated by Neon’s President of Acquisitions & Production Jeff Deutchman with producer Nicolas Anthomé...
- 5/17/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Neon is plunging into the great unknown with Léa Seydoux and filmmaker Arthur Harari. The indie outfit has landed North American rights to The Unknown, and appropriate for its title, its logline is currently unknown.
But Harari’s pedigree may offer some clues. Harari earned acclaim as the screenwriter of Anatomy of a Fall, which Neon landed out of Cannes before it went on to win the Palme d’Or and later the original screenplay Oscar. Harari previously worked with Anatomy Director Justine Triet on the Cannes title Sibyl (2019). As a writer-director, he is also known for Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, which opened Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the original screenplay César.
Seydoux is at Cannes with The Second Act and is coming off a role in Dune: Part 2, while Neon is at the fest with Red Rocket director Sean Baker’s latest feature,...
But Harari’s pedigree may offer some clues. Harari earned acclaim as the screenwriter of Anatomy of a Fall, which Neon landed out of Cannes before it went on to win the Palme d’Or and later the original screenplay Oscar. Harari previously worked with Anatomy Director Justine Triet on the Cannes title Sibyl (2019). As a writer-director, he is also known for Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, which opened Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2021 and went on to win the original screenplay César.
Seydoux is at Cannes with The Second Act and is coming off a role in Dune: Part 2, while Neon is at the fest with Red Rocket director Sean Baker’s latest feature,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Thriving U.S. indie producer-distributor Neon is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival with the Tom Quinn-founded banner having acquired a historic four consecutive Palme d’Or wins, thus earning them the nickname “the Palme d’Or whisperers”. This year, while the company has Sean Baker’s new rom-com Anora playing in Competition, it’s also descending upon the Croisette in a new capacity with its recently-launched international sales strand, led by seasoned sales exec and Sierra/Affinity veteran Kristen Figeroid.
International buyers will be hard pressed not to notice the new Neon banner right on the Croisette this year, as the company launches sales on Osgood Perkins’ next genre movie Keeper, starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. Neon is already set to distribute the title in the U.S. (Elevation...
International buyers will be hard pressed not to notice the new Neon banner right on the Croisette this year, as the company launches sales on Osgood Perkins’ next genre movie Keeper, starring Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland. Neon is already set to distribute the title in the U.S. (Elevation...
- 5/14/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Neon, the Oscar-winning distributor of “Parasite,” is getting back in business with “Titane” director Julia Ducournau.
In one of the first big rights deals of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the studio announced it has acquired North American territories for Ducournau’s “Alpha.” Plot details were not immediately disclosed, except that the film will be “genre-defying.” Neon previously released Ducournau’s acclaimed “Titane,” which won Cannes’ highest honor, the Palme d’Or, in 2021. She is only the second woman director to do so, following Jane Campion for “The Piano.”
“Alpha” will star Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim.
Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film, and Eric and Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie. Frakas Productions is co-producing. Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling global sales. The Neon deal was negotiated by its president of acquisitions and production Jeff Deutchman, with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation...
In one of the first big rights deals of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the studio announced it has acquired North American territories for Ducournau’s “Alpha.” Plot details were not immediately disclosed, except that the film will be “genre-defying.” Neon previously released Ducournau’s acclaimed “Titane,” which won Cannes’ highest honor, the Palme d’Or, in 2021. She is only the second woman director to do so, following Jane Campion for “The Piano.”
“Alpha” will star Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim.
Producers are Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film, and Eric and Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie. Frakas Productions is co-producing. Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are handling global sales. The Neon deal was negotiated by its president of acquisitions and production Jeff Deutchman, with Charades’ Carole Baraton and FilmNation...
- 5/14/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Lucy Liu was honored with the Legend award at the third annual Gold House Gold Gala on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Liu delivered a passionate speech after accepting the award from Regina King. “What I love about Regina is that she always makes choices that are for her,” Liu told the audience. “When I started over 30 years ago, there weren’t a lot of choices that I could make for myself.”
Liu — whose credits include “Ally McBeal,” “Elementary,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Charlie’s Angels” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence” — talked about having to make casting decisions “because of limitations.” She said, “I love that we are all here tonight because there is no ceiling, and I’ve never seen that for myself. I want us to all collectively understand how special this moment is that we are together as a community. I share this award with you because you have lifted me up,...
Liu delivered a passionate speech after accepting the award from Regina King. “What I love about Regina is that she always makes choices that are for her,” Liu told the audience. “When I started over 30 years ago, there weren’t a lot of choices that I could make for myself.”
Liu — whose credits include “Ally McBeal,” “Elementary,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Charlie’s Angels” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence” — talked about having to make casting decisions “because of limitations.” She said, “I love that we are all here tonight because there is no ceiling, and I’ve never seen that for myself. I want us to all collectively understand how special this moment is that we are together as a community. I share this award with you because you have lifted me up,...
- 5/12/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
UK-based sales firm 101 Films International is launching worldwide sales on comedy horror Crocodylus: Mating Season at next week’s Cannes market.
It is the feature debut of US filmmaker Stanley Pomianowski. Crocodylus: Mating Season follows a private investigator who is hired by a woman to find her missing brother, whom she believes was involved with incidents linked to the legend of a human-alligator hybrid.
The film is a sequel to Michael McLaren’s 2017 horror Crocodylus. Mating Season had a world premiere in the US in September 2023.
It is produced by Johnny Alonso and Avery Guerra for Duck Duck Productions and Executive Studio Productions.
It is the feature debut of US filmmaker Stanley Pomianowski. Crocodylus: Mating Season follows a private investigator who is hired by a woman to find her missing brother, whom she believes was involved with incidents linked to the legend of a human-alligator hybrid.
The film is a sequel to Michael McLaren’s 2017 horror Crocodylus. Mating Season had a world premiere in the US in September 2023.
It is produced by Johnny Alonso and Avery Guerra for Duck Duck Productions and Executive Studio Productions.
- 5/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
BFI Distribution has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Moin Hussain’s feature debut Sky Peals.
BFI Distribution acquired the film from Bankside Films, and will release it theatrically in the UK and Ireland on August 9.
The film follows a man working nightshifts at a motorway service station, who tries to piece together a picture of his recently deceased father, from whom he had been estranged.
Sky Peals debuted in Critics’ Week at Venice Film Festival last September, before a UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival. Faraz Ayub leads the cast, alongside Natalie Gavin and Claire Rushbrook.
It is produced...
BFI Distribution acquired the film from Bankside Films, and will release it theatrically in the UK and Ireland on August 9.
The film follows a man working nightshifts at a motorway service station, who tries to piece together a picture of his recently deceased father, from whom he had been estranged.
Sky Peals debuted in Critics’ Week at Venice Film Festival last September, before a UK premiere at BFI London Film Festival. Faraz Ayub leads the cast, alongside Natalie Gavin and Claire Rushbrook.
It is produced...
- 5/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
World premieres of Jayro Bustamante’s Rita and the Adams Family’s Hell Hole are among the first wave of the 28th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal running July 18-August 4.
Rita marks Bustamante’s follow-up to 2019 Venice Giornate degli Autori winner and Guatemalan Oscar submission La Llorona. It follows an abused teenage girl’s attempted escape from a government safe house and is inspired by the true story of a deadly orphanage fire in Guatemala.
Hell Hole hails from the filmmaking family behind Hellbender and Where The Devil Roams and centres on an American-led fracking crew that...
Rita marks Bustamante’s follow-up to 2019 Venice Giornate degli Autori winner and Guatemalan Oscar submission La Llorona. It follows an abused teenage girl’s attempted escape from a government safe house and is inspired by the true story of a deadly orphanage fire in Guatemala.
Hell Hole hails from the filmmaking family behind Hellbender and Where The Devil Roams and centres on an American-led fracking crew that...
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Steven Soderbergh’s Sundance title ‘Presence’ acquired for UK-Ireland theatrical release (exclusive)
Picturehouse Entertainment has acquired UK-Ireland distribution rights to Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, following its world premiere at Sundance in January.
The film stars Lucy Liu, Julia Fox and Chris Sullivan, in the story of a family who moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced that they’re not alone. Neon International handles worldwide sales.
Presence was written by David Koepp, and produced by Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer.
The latest buy from Picturehouse’s revamped acquisitions team, it joins a slate that includes Alonso Ruizpalacios’ La Cocina, Matthias Glasner’s Dying and Andreas Dresen’s From Hilde, With Love.
The film stars Lucy Liu, Julia Fox and Chris Sullivan, in the story of a family who moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced that they’re not alone. Neon International handles worldwide sales.
Presence was written by David Koepp, and produced by Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer.
The latest buy from Picturehouse’s revamped acquisitions team, it joins a slate that includes Alonso Ruizpalacios’ La Cocina, Matthias Glasner’s Dying and Andreas Dresen’s From Hilde, With Love.
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
From “Ally McBeal” to “Elementary” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Charlie’s Angels” and Steven Soderbergh’s
“Presence,” Lucy Liu has created memorable characters, and the actor is also an accomplished artist. But, as Gold House readies to bestow her with the Legend award May 11 at the Gold Gala, she says, “It’s so moving. To be honored among your peers and the Asian community, in general, is a destination. It’s a little bit like your family and your family that you may not know. There’s a feeling of pride, and this extension of culture, which is different from the people that you work with that are not necessarily from the same place. I know from my life, my parents were not really that into this career, so it’s very touching.”
Liu spoke with Variety ahead of the Gold Gala to reflect on her recent and upcoming projects, painting...
“Presence,” Lucy Liu has created memorable characters, and the actor is also an accomplished artist. But, as Gold House readies to bestow her with the Legend award May 11 at the Gold Gala, she says, “It’s so moving. To be honored among your peers and the Asian community, in general, is a destination. It’s a little bit like your family and your family that you may not know. There’s a feeling of pride, and this extension of culture, which is different from the people that you work with that are not necessarily from the same place. I know from my life, my parents were not really that into this career, so it’s very touching.”
Liu spoke with Variety ahead of the Gold Gala to reflect on her recent and upcoming projects, painting...
- 5/2/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Neon has hired marketing and publicity veteran Joey Monteiro as EVP, International Marketing and Ashley Hirsch as Manager of International Sales and Marketing. The move further expands the company’s global footprint as it grows its international sales arm headed up by seasoned sales executive Kristen Figeroid.
With a career spanning more than two and a half decades, Monteiro joins Neon from Sierra-Affinity/eOne, where he served as EVP of Marketing and Publicity and was responsible for creative marketing across film markets and festivals as well as international distribution. He handled campaigns on Academy Award-winning titles including: Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, starring Ryan Gosling; Miles Teller starrer Whiplash; Margot Robbie starrer I, Tonya; Manchester By The Sea with Casey Affleck; and Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, among others.
Prior to that, Monteiro worked at Warner Brothers Pictures as Director of Digital Marketing and Lionsgate as SVP of International Marketing,...
With a career spanning more than two and a half decades, Monteiro joins Neon from Sierra-Affinity/eOne, where he served as EVP of Marketing and Publicity and was responsible for creative marketing across film markets and festivals as well as international distribution. He handled campaigns on Academy Award-winning titles including: Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, starring Ryan Gosling; Miles Teller starrer Whiplash; Margot Robbie starrer I, Tonya; Manchester By The Sea with Casey Affleck; and Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, among others.
Prior to that, Monteiro worked at Warner Brothers Pictures as Director of Digital Marketing and Lionsgate as SVP of International Marketing,...
- 5/1/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life Box Office Report (Day 28): Steady Collections, Strong Global Presence
Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life Box Office Report (Day 28): Steady Collections, Strong Global Presence ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
Aadujeevitham—The Goat Life has slowed down its run at the box office. The movie has now started earning between 40 and 30 lakhs. Find out how much the film collected on its fourth Wednesday at the box office.
The movie made the most money on the fourth Sunday (Day 25) with a collection of 1.2 crore. Weekdays saw a dip in collections compared to the weekend. Friday (Day 23) and Saturday (Day 24) had decent earnings of 0.73 crore and 0.82 crore respectively, but Monday (Day 26) to Wednesday (Day 28) saw a significant drop.
On Wednesday, the movie earned 0.33 crore. Blessy’s Aadujeevitham—The Goat Life collected 3.92 crore in six days of its fourth week, bringing the total domestic collections to an estimated 82.27 crore (gross India collections are estimated at 97 crore).
Trending Varshangalkku Shesham Box Office Day 14: Shows Steady Decline On 2Nd Wednesday,...
Aadujeevitham—The Goat Life has slowed down its run at the box office. The movie has now started earning between 40 and 30 lakhs. Find out how much the film collected on its fourth Wednesday at the box office.
The movie made the most money on the fourth Sunday (Day 25) with a collection of 1.2 crore. Weekdays saw a dip in collections compared to the weekend. Friday (Day 23) and Saturday (Day 24) had decent earnings of 0.73 crore and 0.82 crore respectively, but Monday (Day 26) to Wednesday (Day 28) saw a significant drop.
On Wednesday, the movie earned 0.33 crore. Blessy’s Aadujeevitham—The Goat Life collected 3.92 crore in six days of its fourth week, bringing the total domestic collections to an estimated 82.27 crore (gross India collections are estimated at 97 crore).
Trending Varshangalkku Shesham Box Office Day 14: Shows Steady Decline On 2Nd Wednesday,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Nikita Wagh
- KoiMoi
Life is finding a way to fill the cast of the new Jurassic World sequel from the original Jurassic Park co-writer David Koepp. The new film has been courting actors like Scarlett Johansson, and recently, it is being rumored that Dev Patel and Colman Domingo are being sought out for roles. It’s a new era for dinosaurs. Jurassic World: Dominion concluded the sequel trilogy and in their alternate universe, humans and Earth’s prehistoric creatures are now living side-by-side in the modern world. But hey, at least we don’t have to worry about locusts anymore, right?
Sources have recently told Deadline that Jonathan Bailey, known for projects such as Bridgerton and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, is currently in talks with Universal about possibly taking the lead role in the popular dinosaur franchise. Bailey is also coming off the recent series Fellow Travelers, in which he co-stars with Matt Bomer,...
Sources have recently told Deadline that Jonathan Bailey, known for projects such as Bridgerton and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, is currently in talks with Universal about possibly taking the lead role in the popular dinosaur franchise. Bailey is also coming off the recent series Fellow Travelers, in which he co-stars with Matt Bomer,...
- 4/16/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: The Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson sci-fi thriller Mercy is adding four with A Star Is Born‘s Rafi Gavron, Chris Sullivan, Kenneth Choi and Kylie Rogers.
Timur Bekmambetov directs the Amazon MGM Studios project, which was penned by Marco van Belle. It follows a detective (Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime, and must prove his innocence is a future where capital crime has swelled.
True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis and Blinders’ Annabelle Wallis also star in the movie which is hitting theaters on Aug. 15, 2025.
Gersh, Affirmative Entertainment repped Gavron began his career with a breakout lead role in Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, for which he earned a nomination for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Independent Film Awards. In addition to A Star Is Born, he also starred in the limited series Ghosts of Beirut, two seasons of Godfather of Harlem for MGM+,...
Timur Bekmambetov directs the Amazon MGM Studios project, which was penned by Marco van Belle. It follows a detective (Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime, and must prove his innocence is a future where capital crime has swelled.
True Detective: Night Country‘s Kali Reis and Blinders’ Annabelle Wallis also star in the movie which is hitting theaters on Aug. 15, 2025.
Gersh, Affirmative Entertainment repped Gavron began his career with a breakout lead role in Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, for which he earned a nomination for ‘Best Newcomer’ at the British Independent Film Awards. In addition to A Star Is Born, he also starred in the limited series Ghosts of Beirut, two seasons of Godfather of Harlem for MGM+,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Neon, the indie studio behind “Parasite” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” has tapped the producers of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Jon Read and Allison Rose Carter, to lead their growing production arm. Read and Carter are the co-founders of Savage Rose Films.
The pact comes as Neon has moved more aggressively into developing and producing its own movies, instead of focusing purely on acquiring completed films. The company’s recent foray into production have included Brandon Cronenberg’s “Infinity Pool,” Bishal Dutta’s “It Lives Inside,” Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” Jazmin Jones’s “Seeking Mavis Beacon” and Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo.” This new in-house focus also includes upcoming projects from Joshua Oppenheimer, Boots Riley and David Robert Mitchell. Under the terms of the deal, Neon will have a first-look at Savage Rose Films’ roster of projects while Read and Carter will also run Neon’s productions, reporting to Jeff Deutchman,...
The pact comes as Neon has moved more aggressively into developing and producing its own movies, instead of focusing purely on acquiring completed films. The company’s recent foray into production have included Brandon Cronenberg’s “Infinity Pool,” Bishal Dutta’s “It Lives Inside,” Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” Jazmin Jones’s “Seeking Mavis Beacon” and Tilman Singer’s “Cuckoo.” This new in-house focus also includes upcoming projects from Joshua Oppenheimer, Boots Riley and David Robert Mitchell. Under the terms of the deal, Neon will have a first-look at Savage Rose Films’ roster of projects while Read and Carter will also run Neon’s productions, reporting to Jeff Deutchman,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Update: The rumors are true, folks! Scarlett Johansson is officially in talks to lead the new film in Universal’s Jurassic World franchise. The studio is moving faster than a Troodon after guzzling a can of Red Bull to get the project into production. Gareth Edwards directs the new Jurassic World film project from a script by Jurassic Park writer David Koepp. Universal is looking for dinosaurs to roar in theaters on July 2, 2025, giving the team a little more than a year to assemble the feature.
Universal’s Jurassic World film is another blockbuster franchise project for Johansson after she played Black Widow in many Marvel movies. She’s one of Hollywood’s most in-demand talents, especially after Oscar-worthy performances in films like Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit. We expect much more news about the new Jurassic World project in the coming months, with fans eager to know the plot...
Universal’s Jurassic World film is another blockbuster franchise project for Johansson after she played Black Widow in many Marvel movies. She’s one of Hollywood’s most in-demand talents, especially after Oscar-worthy performances in films like Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit. We expect much more news about the new Jurassic World project in the coming months, with fans eager to know the plot...
- 3/25/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Steven Soderbergh is assembling quite the cast for his upcoming spy thriller, Black Bag, and THR has reported that Pierce Brosnan, Naomie Harris, and Tom Burke are the latest additions to the project.
Plot details are being kept under wrap, but the cast of Black Bag also includes Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé Jean Page, and Marisa Abela. Soderbergh will direct from a script by David Koepp, and production is expected to begin in May in London.
Related Regé-Jean Page to join Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett in Steven Soderbergh’s anticipated spy thriller Black Bag
Of course, Pierce Brosnan and Naomie Harris are no stranger to spy movies, with Brosnan playing James Bond in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Another Day, and Harris playing Eve Moneypenny in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. Tom Burke played Orson Welles in David Fincher’s...
Plot details are being kept under wrap, but the cast of Black Bag also includes Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé Jean Page, and Marisa Abela. Soderbergh will direct from a script by David Koepp, and production is expected to begin in May in London.
Related Regé-Jean Page to join Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett in Steven Soderbergh’s anticipated spy thriller Black Bag
Of course, Pierce Brosnan and Naomie Harris are no stranger to spy movies, with Brosnan playing James Bond in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, and Die Another Day, and Harris playing Eve Moneypenny in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. Tom Burke played Orson Welles in David Fincher’s...
- 3/19/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Neon and Waypoint have struck a strategic financial partnership to collaborate on a theatrical slate of “bold, genre-spanning”larger independent features.
The non-exclusive pact sees Waypoint, led by Ken Kao, invest in the slate after the partners worked together on Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo, which premiered in Berlinale Special gala last month.
Waypoint founder and president Kao said, “Our joint venture will focus on the underserved market of larger independent films, specifically in the $10m+ range that often get overlooked by studios and streamers.”
Neon founder and CEO Tom Quinn hailed Waypoint’s “commitment and unique ability to create bold,...
The non-exclusive pact sees Waypoint, led by Ken Kao, invest in the slate after the partners worked together on Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo, which premiered in Berlinale Special gala last month.
Waypoint founder and president Kao said, “Our joint venture will focus on the underserved market of larger independent films, specifically in the $10m+ range that often get overlooked by studios and streamers.”
Neon founder and CEO Tom Quinn hailed Waypoint’s “commitment and unique ability to create bold,...
- 3/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Neon, the studio that backed Oscar-winners “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Parasite,” has ironed out a deal with Waypoint Entertainment, the production company behind “The Favourite” and “The Nice Guys,” to bring more mid-budget movies to the big screen.
The deal follows the company’s collaboration on the Hunter Schafer-led horror movie “Cuckoo,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and SXSW. Waypoint’s investment will allow Neon to expand its production and distribution efforts, something it’s been attempting to do since the New York-based distributor explored a sale in 2022 as a way to grow its business. Though a deal with investor Steven Rales, the wealthy businessman who founded the production company Indian Paintbrush, never came to fruition, Neon has managed to bolster its footprint. It recently launched an international sales division to handle the global distribution of its films.
“Our joint venture will focus on the underserved market of larger independent films,...
The deal follows the company’s collaboration on the Hunter Schafer-led horror movie “Cuckoo,” which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and SXSW. Waypoint’s investment will allow Neon to expand its production and distribution efforts, something it’s been attempting to do since the New York-based distributor explored a sale in 2022 as a way to grow its business. Though a deal with investor Steven Rales, the wealthy businessman who founded the production company Indian Paintbrush, never came to fruition, Neon has managed to bolster its footprint. It recently launched an international sales division to handle the global distribution of its films.
“Our joint venture will focus on the underserved market of larger independent films,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Neon is bolstering its production and distribution capabilities with a new financial investment from the producers of its most recent film, “Cuckoo,” which just screened at the SXSW Film Festival.
Indie-studio Neon has formed a strategic financial partnership with Waypoint Entertainment, a production company led by producer Ken Kao that’s been behind films like “The Favourite” and “The Nice Guys.” Together, the two companies will work on a slate of genre films intended for theatrical release.
The deal is non-exclusive, and no details on the slate of films were announced today — but the films will be indies in the $10 million+ range. The investment should give Neon a bit more financial firepower to compete with the likes of A24. Neon will handle global distribution on each of Waypoint’s titles via its newly-launched international sales division.
“Ken Kao and the Waypoint team have long demonstrated their commitment and unique ability to create bold,...
Indie-studio Neon has formed a strategic financial partnership with Waypoint Entertainment, a production company led by producer Ken Kao that’s been behind films like “The Favourite” and “The Nice Guys.” Together, the two companies will work on a slate of genre films intended for theatrical release.
The deal is non-exclusive, and no details on the slate of films were announced today — but the films will be indies in the $10 million+ range. The investment should give Neon a bit more financial firepower to compete with the likes of A24. Neon will handle global distribution on each of Waypoint’s titles via its newly-launched international sales division.
“Ken Kao and the Waypoint team have long demonstrated their commitment and unique ability to create bold,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Steven Soderbergh is turning up the heat on cryptocurrency scams in thriller “Cold Wallet.”
Soderbergh officially presents the feature, directed by Cutter Hodierne (“Fishing Without Nets”). “Cold Wallet” is set to premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 8 as part of the Narrative Spotlight section; the film is among IndieWire’s must-see picks for the festival.
“This smart, spiky, off-center take on the vigilante genre really kept me engrossed in a how-much-crazier-is-this-going-to-get way, which I love,” Soderbergh said in a press statement after “Cold Wallet” won the Decentralized Pictures and Soderbergh’s Andrews/Bernard Award.
The official synopsis reads: “After losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who screwed them over. But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in a sadistic game.”
“’Cold Wallet’ is a pulp crime thriller — a battle cry of the common man,...
Soderbergh officially presents the feature, directed by Cutter Hodierne (“Fishing Without Nets”). “Cold Wallet” is set to premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 8 as part of the Narrative Spotlight section; the film is among IndieWire’s must-see picks for the festival.
“This smart, spiky, off-center take on the vigilante genre really kept me engrossed in a how-much-crazier-is-this-going-to-get way, which I love,” Soderbergh said in a press statement after “Cold Wallet” won the Decentralized Pictures and Soderbergh’s Andrews/Bernard Award.
The official synopsis reads: “After losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who screwed them over. But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in a sadistic game.”
“’Cold Wallet’ is a pulp crime thriller — a battle cry of the common man,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The cast of Steven Soderbergh’s spy thriller Black Bag expands today with Regé-Jean Page joining Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. Soderbergh directs from a script by David Koepp, with Caset Silver and Greg Jacobs producing. Focus Features is setting up Black Bag, with filming happening in London. Plot details remain a mystery. However, the film’s story is a spy thriller unfolding in the United Kingdom.
As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out in January, Soderbergh and Blanchett previously worked together on his 2006 noir thriller The Good German. Blanchett played a part in the film Ocean’s 8, as part of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 franchise. Soderbergh produced Ocean’s 8 but didn’t direct that one. He and Fassbender previously worked together on his 2011 action thriller Haywire. And in addition to collaborating on Presence, Soderbergh and Koepp also worked together on the 2022 thriller Kimi.
Kimi told the following story: A tech...
As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out in January, Soderbergh and Blanchett previously worked together on his 2006 noir thriller The Good German. Blanchett played a part in the film Ocean’s 8, as part of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 franchise. Soderbergh produced Ocean’s 8 but didn’t direct that one. He and Fassbender previously worked together on his 2011 action thriller Haywire. And in addition to collaborating on Presence, Soderbergh and Koepp also worked together on the 2022 thriller Kimi.
Kimi told the following story: A tech...
- 3/5/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Neon announced on Tuesday that it will bring Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed drama Origin back to 500 U.S. theaters on February 28, for a one-night-only special screening event, featuring an exclusive pre-recorded introduction and post-screening Q&a with DuVernay.
Released wide on January 19, Origin has recently been awarded Best Drama, Best Director and Best Actress by the African American Film Critics Association, also securing NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Motion Picture, Directing in a Motion Picture, Actress in a Motion Picture, and Youth Performance in a Motion Picture.
Written and directed by DuVernay, the film explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future. While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor leads a cast also including Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts,...
Released wide on January 19, Origin has recently been awarded Best Drama, Best Director and Best Actress by the African American Film Critics Association, also securing NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Motion Picture, Directing in a Motion Picture, Actress in a Motion Picture, and Youth Performance in a Motion Picture.
Written and directed by DuVernay, the film explores the mystery of history, the wonders of romance, and a fight for our future. While investigating the global phenomenon of caste and its dark influence on society, a journalist faces unfathomable personal loss and uncovers the beauty of human resilience.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor leads a cast also including Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts,...
- 2/27/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A year and a half ago, Get Out, Us, and Nope writer/director Jordan Peele‘s production company Monkeypaw Productions acquired the genre film pitch Goat from writers Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, the plan being that Peele would be producing Goat as part of Monkeypaw’s overall deal with Universal Pictures. Now the sports-related horror project is finally making its way toward production, and in recent weeks we’ve learned that Justin Tipping – who made his feature directorial debut with the 2016 drama Kicks – will be directing the film, with lead roles going to Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie) and Tyriq Withers (The Game). Now Deadline reports that the female lead role has gone to Julia Fox.
Deadline also says that Fox is “best known for her New York Times best-selling book Down the Drain“, while the description for that book (you can pick up a copy Here) says, “Julia Fox...
Deadline also says that Fox is “best known for her New York Times best-selling book Down the Drain“, while the description for that book (you can pick up a copy Here) says, “Julia Fox...
- 2/22/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Julia Fox is set to star as the female lead alongside Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers in Monkeypaw’s Goat for Universal Pictures. Justin Tipping is directing.
The project, based on a Black List script by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, centers on a promising young athlete who is invited to train with a team’s retiring star. The film will be produced by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, and Jamal Watson. Executive producers are David Kern and Kate Oh.
Executive Vice President of Production Development Sara Scott and Director of Development Tony Ducret will oversee the project for the Studio.
Best known for her New York Times best-selling book Down the Drain, Fox had her breakout role opposite Adam Sandler in the Safdie Brothers’ thriller Uncut Gems. She followed that up with Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move and is reuniting with Soderbergh for his upcoming thriller Presence,...
The project, based on a Black List script by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, centers on a promising young athlete who is invited to train with a team’s retiring star. The film will be produced by Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, and Jamal Watson. Executive producers are David Kern and Kate Oh.
Executive Vice President of Production Development Sara Scott and Director of Development Tony Ducret will oversee the project for the Studio.
Best known for her New York Times best-selling book Down the Drain, Fox had her breakout role opposite Adam Sandler in the Safdie Brothers’ thriller Uncut Gems. She followed that up with Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move and is reuniting with Soderbergh for his upcoming thriller Presence,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
One year on from its Berlinale Special screening Australian horror Talk To Me has grossed nearly $100m at the global box office and sellers have heeded the call: EFM 2024 is packed with “elevated genre” titles.
Neon snapped up Steven Soderbergh’s Lucy Liu ghost story Presence in Sundance and the international division has kicked off talks in Berlin. Neon International also has Cuckoo, Tilman Singer’s horror that premieres in the Berlinale Special section and stars Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens.
A24 is selling I Saw The TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun’s take on gender dysphoria and teenage isolation...
Neon snapped up Steven Soderbergh’s Lucy Liu ghost story Presence in Sundance and the international division has kicked off talks in Berlin. Neon International also has Cuckoo, Tilman Singer’s horror that premieres in the Berlinale Special section and stars Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens.
A24 is selling I Saw The TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun’s take on gender dysphoria and teenage isolation...
- 2/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Neon Intl. has added to its growing EFM slate with Jason Buxton’s “Sharp Corner,” starring Ben Foster and Cobie Smulders. The company, launched last year as the sales arm of Neon, will launch the project in Berlin.
The under-the-radar feature, now in post-production, is based on the short story from Russell Wangersky’s Giller Prize-shortlisted collection “Whirl Away,” and marks Buxton’s follow up to his debut film, 2012’s ”Blackbird,” which won the best first feature in Toronto and picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Écrans Juniors.
“Sharp Corner” follows a dedicated family man who becomes obsessed with saving the lives of the car accident victims on the sharp corner in front of his house — an obsession that could cost him everything.
The film, a Canadian-Irish co-production, is produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, Screen Nova Scotia, Ontario Creates and in association with Bell Media/Crave.
The under-the-radar feature, now in post-production, is based on the short story from Russell Wangersky’s Giller Prize-shortlisted collection “Whirl Away,” and marks Buxton’s follow up to his debut film, 2012’s ”Blackbird,” which won the best first feature in Toronto and picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Écrans Juniors.
“Sharp Corner” follows a dedicated family man who becomes obsessed with saving the lives of the car accident victims on the sharp corner in front of his house — an obsession that could cost him everything.
The film, a Canadian-Irish co-production, is produced with the participation of Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, Screen Nova Scotia, Ontario Creates and in association with Bell Media/Crave.
- 2/14/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Naomi Watts, Tye Sheridan, Michael Imperioli and Norman Reedus are set to star in the psychological drama “The Housewife” from first-time feature director Ben Shirinian.
Neon International will kick off foreign sales at the European Film Market in Berlin this month, which runs from Feb. 15 to 21.
Based on a true story from 1964, “The Housewife” follows a determined young New York Times journalist (Sheridan) as he tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in Queens. But when he befriends the suspect’s elegant and charming wife (Watts), the implications of his investigation become much more unsettling.
Robbie Brenner, Kevin McKeon (“Call Jane”) and Lee Broda (“May December”) are producing, alongside executive producer Alyssa Hill who also penned the film’s script. CAA Media Finance is representing the domestic sales rights on the title, which will begin principal photography in June.
“The Housewife” marks Shirinian’s feature directorial debut. His previous...
Neon International will kick off foreign sales at the European Film Market in Berlin this month, which runs from Feb. 15 to 21.
Based on a true story from 1964, “The Housewife” follows a determined young New York Times journalist (Sheridan) as he tracks down a potential Nazi officer living secretly in Queens. But when he befriends the suspect’s elegant and charming wife (Watts), the implications of his investigation become much more unsettling.
Robbie Brenner, Kevin McKeon (“Call Jane”) and Lee Broda (“May December”) are producing, alongside executive producer Alyssa Hill who also penned the film’s script. CAA Media Finance is representing the domestic sales rights on the title, which will begin principal photography in June.
“The Housewife” marks Shirinian’s feature directorial debut. His previous...
- 2/7/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
It’s true: We’re finally putting a bow on our Sundance 2024 coverage. But while the annual festival has now wrapped, that doesn’t mean our work has quite concluded just yet. If nothing else, a review of our top stories from the annual event feel like a road map for the cinematic year to come, a quick trip into the obsessions and interests that guided 11 days in snowy Park City, Utah and seem destined to carry over throughout the rest of 2024.
Check out our full critics survey to see which films over 160 (!!) critics deemed the best of the fest, watch our full run of in-studio interviews with some of the biggest names of festival, and check out every piece of key Sundance news (from reviews to interviews and so much more) right here. Until next year!
As is often the case with IndieWire’s readership, first-look reviews were our hottest tickets.
Check out our full critics survey to see which films over 160 (!!) critics deemed the best of the fest, watch our full run of in-studio interviews with some of the biggest names of festival, and check out every piece of key Sundance news (from reviews to interviews and so much more) right here. Until next year!
As is often the case with IndieWire’s readership, first-look reviews were our hottest tickets.
- 2/1/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Steven Soderbergh’s almost took on “Death Becomes Her.”
The “sex, lies, and videotape” filmmaker told Variety that following his breakout Sundance debut, he was approached to direct “Death Becomes Her” in 1992.
“I want to preface this by saying I hate it when people talk about things that they passed on. For whatever reason, I just feel like I am not convinced it’s good form to do that,” Soderbergh said.
Soderbergh added of the script, “I do remember reading it and immediately thinking it was very funny. And also immediately recognizing that this is so far beyond my capability. The technology they were using was intimidating. It was a hard ‘you got the wrong guy,’ is what it was.”
“Death Becomes Her” was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as rival immortals who fight over a love interest (Bruce Willis). The film was a box office hit,...
The “sex, lies, and videotape” filmmaker told Variety that following his breakout Sundance debut, he was approached to direct “Death Becomes Her” in 1992.
“I want to preface this by saying I hate it when people talk about things that they passed on. For whatever reason, I just feel like I am not convinced it’s good form to do that,” Soderbergh said.
Soderbergh added of the script, “I do remember reading it and immediately thinking it was very funny. And also immediately recognizing that this is so far beyond my capability. The technology they were using was intimidating. It was a hard ‘you got the wrong guy,’ is what it was.”
“Death Becomes Her” was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as rival immortals who fight over a love interest (Bruce Willis). The film was a box office hit,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Updated throughout with new buys. Despite some initial trepidation, big sales were not in short supply at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Netflix spending big on everything from “It’s What’s Inside” to “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” Searchlight Pictures going for “A Real Pain,” Amazon MGM getting in on the “My Old Ass” action, Neon wisely snapping up “Presence,” and Sony Pictures Classics getting down with “Kneecap”, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of superior films still looking for homes.
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like Saoirse Ronan in “The Outrun”), those in search of the next big director, or documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact and fascinating true stories.
And while it’s still early days,...
Of the still-for-sale titles that premiered at this year’s festival, there’s plenty to intrigue all sorts of buyers, from those looking for films with excellent performances that could inspire major awards pushes (like Saoirse Ronan in “The Outrun”), those in search of the next big director, or documentary lovers looking for films with incredible real world impact and fascinating true stories.
And while it’s still early days,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
There are a few silver linings of covering Sundance remotely, which — as a critic with two young children and a marriage that I would still like to have at the end of the month — I elected to do for the fourth consecutive year. You don’t have to wait in lines, sit through the same ads about “the power of storytelling” before every screening, or stare longingly at nearby ski slopes as you take a deep breath and head into a high school auditorium to watch a documentary that will be on Netflix three days later.
More significantly, “doing Sundance” from the relative comforts of Eric Adams’ New York City has a way of unburdening the films you watch from the pressure forced upon them in Park City, where each premiere is attended by some of the most generous audiences on the planet…and also the unreasonable expectation that what...
More significantly, “doing Sundance” from the relative comforts of Eric Adams’ New York City has a way of unburdening the films you watch from the pressure forced upon them in Park City, where each premiere is attended by some of the most generous audiences on the planet…and also the unreasonable expectation that what...
- 1/29/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The Sundance Film Festival has wrapped in snowy Park City, and Deadline was on the ground to watch all of the key films. Here is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which include festival award winners like Daughters, the documentary that took the Festival Favorite Award, and A Real Pain, which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriter Award for its writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg.
Other pics include several that were scooped up by distributors, led by Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence selling to Neon, A Real Pain going to Searchlight, Ghostlight to IFC Films, and Netflix’s smash $17 million deal for It’s What’s Inside.
Check out the reviews below, click on the titles to read them in full, and keep checking back as we add more.
The American Society of Magical Negroes (L-r) Justice Smith and David Alan Grier in ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’
Section: Premieres
Director-screenwriter: Kobi Libii
Cast: Justice Smith,...
Other pics include several that were scooped up by distributors, led by Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence selling to Neon, A Real Pain going to Searchlight, Ghostlight to IFC Films, and Netflix’s smash $17 million deal for It’s What’s Inside.
Check out the reviews below, click on the titles to read them in full, and keep checking back as we add more.
The American Society of Magical Negroes (L-r) Justice Smith and David Alan Grier in ‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’
Section: Premieres
Director-screenwriter: Kobi Libii
Cast: Justice Smith,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Damon Wise, Valerie Complex and Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18-28 and, after a sluggish start, there were deals (click here for the latest), celebrity sightings, and a protest.
Christopher Nolan turned up to collect an honourary award at the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser and called the occasion a “full circle moment” 23 years after premeiring his breakout thriller Memento there back in 2001.
Kristen Stewart also attended the gala and starred in two films this year, while celebrity guests included Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, and Malia Obama, who managed to attend somewhat under the radar with her short film The Heart credited to Malia Ann.
Christopher Nolan turned up to collect an honourary award at the festival’s opening night gala fundraiser and called the occasion a “full circle moment” 23 years after premeiring his breakout thriller Memento there back in 2001.
Kristen Stewart also attended the gala and starred in two films this year, while celebrity guests included Robert Downey Jr., Will Ferrell, and Malia Obama, who managed to attend somewhat under the radar with her short film The Heart credited to Malia Ann.
- 1/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
This year, Sundance saw big deals go down for “A Real Pain”, “It’s What’s Inside”, “Presence” (Neon), and “My Old Ass” as well as smaller acquisitions for “Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics), “Ghostlight” (IFC Films), and “Ibelin”(Netflix).
It’s not the same bull market as the old days, but we’ll take it. And while streamers made their presence felt with the two largest acquisitions to date, it’s clear that for most of these films theatrical will be part of their lifecycles. But is that a smart move?
Based on last year’s results, the answer is: Could be. Domestic box office from all Sundance 2023 films was the best for any year since Covid. At around $100 million, it quadrupled the take from 2022 Festival titles (around $25 million). All told, about two thirds of the 2023 films have some sort of domestic distribution, including streaming outlets. Of these, about a dozen films have yet to open.
It’s not the same bull market as the old days, but we’ll take it. And while streamers made their presence felt with the two largest acquisitions to date, it’s clear that for most of these films theatrical will be part of their lifecycles. But is that a smart move?
Based on last year’s results, the answer is: Could be. Domestic box office from all Sundance 2023 films was the best for any year since Covid. At around $100 million, it quadrupled the take from 2022 Festival titles (around $25 million). All told, about two thirds of the 2023 films have some sort of domestic distribution, including streaming outlets. Of these, about a dozen films have yet to open.
- 1/27/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Earlier this week, we caught word that Universal Pictures is moving forward with a new entry in the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchise – which is no surprise, since the Jurassics and Fast & Furious are the studio’s two big moneymakers. What’s interesting about this new sequel is the fact that the screenplay is being written by David Koepp, who previously wrote the original Jurassic Park and its follow-up The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Now paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Steve Brusatte has taken to social media to confirm that the project is moving forward – and he knows, because it’s so far along that he has already signed on to be the dinosaur expert consultant on it. That’s a job Brusatte also had on the previous movie, Jurassic World Dominion, where he was consultant alongside paleontologist Jack Horner, who has been a consultant on all six Jurassic movies to date.
- 1/26/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
“Presence,” a twisty haunted house thriller, marks the second collaboration between Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp. The duo, who are longtime friends, also partnered on 2022’s “Kimi,” which featured Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic tech wiz.
But Soderergh and Koepp entered each other’s orbit long before “Kimi” debuted. Koepp wrote the screenplay for the 1992 black comedy “Death Becomes Her,” a cult favorite that was also a pioneer in its use of computer graphics.
“I want to preface this by saying I hate it when people talk about things that they passed on,” Soderbergh told Variety in an interview for a recent profile. “For whatever reason, I just feel like I am not convinced it’s good form to do that.”
But Soderbergh did acknowledge that he was offered a chance to direct “Death Becomes Her,” which would have happened shortly after he scored a breakout hit with 1989’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
But Soderergh and Koepp entered each other’s orbit long before “Kimi” debuted. Koepp wrote the screenplay for the 1992 black comedy “Death Becomes Her,” a cult favorite that was also a pioneer in its use of computer graphics.
“I want to preface this by saying I hate it when people talk about things that they passed on,” Soderbergh told Variety in an interview for a recent profile. “For whatever reason, I just feel like I am not convinced it’s good form to do that.”
But Soderbergh did acknowledge that he was offered a chance to direct “Death Becomes Her,” which would have happened shortly after he scored a breakout hit with 1989’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
- 1/26/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Film Festival 2024, beloved by independent film enthusiasts, opens the film festival circuit with a bustling calendar of parties, thought-provoking panels, and red-carpet premieres.
Celebrating its 40th milestone, the lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 53 short films, 35 documentary features, and 83 feature films. The award-winning films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City during a ceremony.
The jury and audience-awarded prizes include Grand Jury Prizes awarded to In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Little Death.
Related: Sundance Film Festival Awards: ‘In The Summers’, ‘Didi’, ‘Daughters’ Top Winners List
Audiences came together in person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included June Squibb,...
Celebrating its 40th milestone, the lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 53 short films, 35 documentary features, and 83 feature films. The award-winning films for the 2024 Sundance Film Festival were announced today at The Ray Theatre in Park City during a ceremony.
The jury and audience-awarded prizes include Grand Jury Prizes awarded to In The Summers (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Porcelain War (U.S. Documentary Competition), Sujo (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and A New Kind of Wilderness (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The Next Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to Little Death.
Related: Sundance Film Festival Awards: ‘In The Summers’, ‘Didi’, ‘Daughters’ Top Winners List
Audiences came together in person over the weekend in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance Resort with talent that included June Squibb,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
The sun is setting on the 2024 installment of the Sundance Film Festival, closing out a milestone 40th edition and leaving many headlines in its wake. Those included a whopping $17 million Netflix acquisition for a buzzy directorial debut, a pro-Palestine protest that shut down Main Street, a Sundance debut for a former first daughter, and the rise of standing ovations across Park City. If you weren’t able to make it out to the mountain, The Hollywood Reporter has rounded up what you missed.
Drawn Out or Dud Dealmaking?
Making an appearance as the moderator for the opening day press conference, Jason Blum, a festival veteran, offered an earnest plea for buyers: “The release schedule for the first half of the year is decimated, and I hope, particularly for theatrical distributors, that the market should be very, very healthy.” Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen. As with the past few years,...
Drawn Out or Dud Dealmaking?
Making an appearance as the moderator for the opening day press conference, Jason Blum, a festival veteran, offered an earnest plea for buyers: “The release schedule for the first half of the year is decimated, and I hope, particularly for theatrical distributors, that the market should be very, very healthy.” Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen. As with the past few years,...
- 1/26/2024
- by Chris Gardner and Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Now that Steven Soderbergh’s three-year overall deal with HBO is over, he’s free to work with any studio he chooses. And the filmmaker is doing just that, in his usual workaholic way, as Deadline reports that Focus Features outbid everyone for “Black Dog,” Soderbergh’s upcoming spy thriller with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. It’s the second pickup of a Soderbergh feature this week, as Neon nabbed “Presence” for distribution after its buzzy premiere at Sundance this past week.
Continue reading ‘Black Bag’: Focus Features Wins Bidding War For Steven Soderbergh’s Spy Thriller With Cate Blanchett & Michael Fassbender at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Black Bag’: Focus Features Wins Bidding War For Steven Soderbergh’s Spy Thriller With Cate Blanchett & Michael Fassbender at The Playlist.
- 1/26/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Focus Features has it in the bag. The studio had landed the rights to Black Bag, a Steven Soderbergh package that hit the town last week. As The Hollywood Reporter previously revealed, the movie will star Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.
Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp penned the script for the spy thriller. Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs are producing the project. Focus is coming off of Oscar noms morning, where it landed five for The Holdovers.
This marks the second sale of the week for the filmmaker, whose horror film Presence sold to Neon out of Sundance. Koepp, who is also writing a Jurassic World movie, was the screenwriter of Presence.
For Soderbergh, Black Bag marks a reunion with Blanchett, who starred in his 2006 feature The Good German and 2018’s Ocean’s 8. Fassbender appeared in Soderbergh’s Haywire in 2011.
Black Bag, which CAA repped for sales, is one of...
Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp penned the script for the spy thriller. Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs are producing the project. Focus is coming off of Oscar noms morning, where it landed five for The Holdovers.
This marks the second sale of the week for the filmmaker, whose horror film Presence sold to Neon out of Sundance. Koepp, who is also writing a Jurassic World movie, was the screenwriter of Presence.
For Soderbergh, Black Bag marks a reunion with Blanchett, who starred in his 2006 feature The Good German and 2018’s Ocean’s 8. Fassbender appeared in Soderbergh’s Haywire in 2011.
Black Bag, which CAA repped for sales, is one of...
- 1/26/2024
- by Aaron Couch and Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Focus Features has won the auction for Steven Soderbergh spy thriller “Black Bag,” which has Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender attached to star, TheWrap has learned.
Steven Soderbergh is set to direct the film this summer in Europe, working from a script by David Koepp, according to an insider with knowledge of the project. Plot details about are otherwise being kept under wraps.
Producers on “Black Bag” are Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs.
This marks the second project this week that Soderbergh and Koepp have set up together, following the sale of their Sundance ghost story “Presence” to Neon.
Soderbergh said the idea for “Presence” actually came out of his insistence that first-person VR storytelling could never work.
“I had real questions about the choice that was at the center of this, because I’ve been very vocal about the fact that [first] person Pov VR doesn’t work, is never...
Steven Soderbergh is set to direct the film this summer in Europe, working from a script by David Koepp, according to an insider with knowledge of the project. Plot details about are otherwise being kept under wraps.
Producers on “Black Bag” are Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs.
This marks the second project this week that Soderbergh and Koepp have set up together, following the sale of their Sundance ghost story “Presence” to Neon.
Soderbergh said the idea for “Presence” actually came out of his insistence that first-person VR storytelling could never work.
“I had real questions about the choice that was at the center of this, because I’ve been very vocal about the fact that [first] person Pov VR doesn’t work, is never...
- 1/26/2024
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Focus Features has won a bidding battle for Black Bag, a package for a spy thriller film that Steven Soderbergh will direct this summer in Europe from a David Koepp script, with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender attached to star. Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs are producing.
This marks the second deal this week for Soderbergh and a Koepp-scripted project. The director made a triumphant return to Sundance, where 35 years ago the $1 million deal for sex, lies, & videotape changed the game. His ghost story Presence sold to Neon in a splashy deal with multiple bidders in an auction that followed the film’s premiere earlier this week.
Black Bag was dispersed to studios in the same time span. The deal was brokered by CAA and by Michael Sugar’s Sugar23.
No numbers yet on this package, but it continues to be the best way for talent to be in the driver’s seat.
This marks the second deal this week for Soderbergh and a Koepp-scripted project. The director made a triumphant return to Sundance, where 35 years ago the $1 million deal for sex, lies, & videotape changed the game. His ghost story Presence sold to Neon in a splashy deal with multiple bidders in an auction that followed the film’s premiere earlier this week.
Black Bag was dispersed to studios in the same time span. The deal was brokered by CAA and by Michael Sugar’s Sugar23.
No numbers yet on this package, but it continues to be the best way for talent to be in the driver’s seat.
- 1/26/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
There were a smattering of big sales and buzzy premieres, but as the 40th edition of Sundance ends, it’s impossible to ignore that the indie film business it champions is suffering from an identity crisis. The box office for art-house movies has yet to regain its pre-covid stride. Streaming services once inflated the prices for movies that debuted at the festival because they were desperate for content. Now they’re more conservative in their spending. In this era of economizing, the all-night bidding wars that made Sundance sizzle have become a thing of the past. That’s good for agents and filmmakers looking to get more shut-eye, but it’s not a great sign of the financial health of the industry.
Yet there was still plenty to celebrate. Movies like “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper” received emotional standing ovations, while “A Real Pain” and “It’s What’s Inside...
Yet there was still plenty to celebrate. Movies like “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper” received emotional standing ovations, while “A Real Pain” and “It’s What’s Inside...
- 1/25/2024
- by Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
A minor work from a major filmmaker, Presence is Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh’s first official foray into supernatural horror. Shot primarily in a single, standalone set over less than two weeks and a limited shooting schedule, Presence doesn’t reinvent or reimagine tropes associated with haunted house or supernatural ghost stories. Far from it. What Presence does do — in Soderbergh’s approach to formal experimentation within predetermined boundaries — it does far better and far more effectively than the vast majority of filmmakers currently writing and directing within the horror space could achieve within the same preset parameters. Working from a seemingly simple, straightforward script written by David Koepp, Soderbergh removes any...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/25/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Perhaps the biggest reason why the ghost story has enjoyed such popularity and power for so long is because it lies at the crux of some of humanity's most fundamental mysteries. For one thing, it addresses the question of life after death in a way that doesn't require belief in pearly gates or eternal hellfire, as it presupposes the existence of the soul. After all, if a person's energy can change the mood of a room, can't that same energy exist independently of a body and remain noticeable? Additionally, the total unknowability of ghosts is at once a source of fear and melancholy: if such entities exist, we can't know for sure what their intentions are, and if we might be facing such a fate, wouldn't such constraints as having no body and no voice be remarkably frustrating and lonely?
Steven Soderbergh's latest feature, "Presence," addresses these concepts in a remarkably effective fashion.
Steven Soderbergh's latest feature, "Presence," addresses these concepts in a remarkably effective fashion.
- 1/25/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
In the latest high-profile acquisition at Sundance Neon is understood to have acquired worldwide rights to Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence starring Lucy Liu.
The Premieres selection debuted last Friday and plays again this upcoming weekend. David Koepp wrote the screenplay.
Shot in one location, Presence follows a family that moves into a suburban home inhabited by a ghost. The cast includes Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland.
Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer served as producers and Koepp and Corey Bayes are executive producers. Michael Sugar of Sugar23 brokered the deal with attorney Jamie Feldman and Meyer.
The Premieres selection debuted last Friday and plays again this upcoming weekend. David Koepp wrote the screenplay.
Shot in one location, Presence follows a family that moves into a suburban home inhabited by a ghost. The cast includes Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland.
Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer served as producers and Koepp and Corey Bayes are executive producers. Michael Sugar of Sugar23 brokered the deal with attorney Jamie Feldman and Meyer.
- 1/24/2024
- ScreenDaily
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