Motion Picture: Aramis Knight Joins ‘Karate Kid’ Film, Halle Bailey Joins Pharrell Williams, Universal Musical
Kenneth Choi - Gregg DeGuire
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Kenneth Choi (9-1-1/All That We Love) has joined the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ sci-fi thriller film Mercy. Set to begin filming soon, the feature follows a detective (Chris Pratt) who must prove his innocence after he is accused of a crime. The film is set in the near-future where capital crime has increased. Mercy is directed by Timur Bekmambetov, written by Marco van Belle, and produced by Charles Roven, Robert Amidon, Majd Nassif, and Bekmambetov’s BEL banner. The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Rafi Gavron, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers, Kali Reis, and Annabelle Wallis.
Aramis Knight (Ms. Marvel/Into the Badlands) has joined the cast of Sony’s upcoming Karate Kid film. The new film, which features returning franchise stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, is directed by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World), written by Rob Lieber (Peter Rabbit), and produced by Karen Rosenfelt (The Summer I Turned Pretty). The film’s cast also features Ben Wang (in the title role), Wyatt Oleff, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen. Knight’s role in the film is not yet known.
Martin Sensmeier (Yellowstone/Wind River: Rising) and DeVaughn Nixon (Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty/Snowfall) have joined the cast of the thriller Ice Fall. The film follows a team-up between a warden and a poacher against dirty cops and criminals, with the two looking for a plane full of money that has crashed in a frozen lake. Ice Fall also stars Joel Kinnaman, Danny Huston, Graham Greene, Oliver Trevena, Cara Jade Myers, Frida Gustavsson, and Will Fletcher. It is directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters), produced by Gary Hamilton, Ying Ye, Addam Bramich, Volodymyr Artemenko, Eugene Stupka, Ryan Hamilton, and Rob Van Norden, and is written by George Mahaffey (Chief of Station). The feature is currently filming in Bulgaria.
Shout! Studios has acquired the North American rights to the psychological thriller The Wasp for seven figures. An adaptation of Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s play, The Wasp follows Heather's (Naomie Harris) and Carla’s (Natalie Dormer) lives being changed after Heather presents an unexpected proposition. The film is directed by Guillem Morales (Inside Number 9) and is written by Malcolm. The feature is produced by Nate Bolotin, Maxime Cottray, James Harris, Leonora Darby, Sean Sorensen, and Matthew B. Schmidt. The Wasp will be theatrically released in summer 2024.
Delroy Lindo (The Harder They Fall/Da 5 Bloods) has joined Ryan Coogler’s untitled supernatural horror thriller film at Warner Bros. While Delroy’s role, and the plot of the film, are unknown, it is rumored that the film is set in the Jim Crow-era South and involves vampires and Southern supernatural traditions. It is also rumored that Delroy’s role involves a musical element and that another star in the film, Michael B. Jordan, will play twin brothers. Coogler directs, produces, and writes the film, which is set to release on March 7, 2025.
Coogler’s film is also set to star Jayme Lawson (The Batman/Till) and Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country/Loki). The film is to begin shooting this month in New Orleans. Lawson’s role is not yet known, while it is rumored that Mosaku will play the film’s female lead and one of Jordan’s character’s romantic interests.
Okwui Okpokwasili (Exorcist: Believer/Master) is set to star in Blumhouse’s upcoming film The Woman in the Yard. The film, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, is being made for Universal; its plot is currently unknown. The Woman in the Yard comes from a script by Sam Stefanak. Jason Blum and Stephanie Allain will produce the film, which also stars Danielle Deadwyler who, in addition to Collet-Serra, will executive produce. The film marks Okpokwasili’s second collaboration with Blumhouse after the aforementioned Exorcist: Believer.
Michael Peña (Narcos: Mexico), David Harbour (Stranger Things), Jason Flemyng (Boiling Point), and Arianna Rivas (The Harvest) have joined the cast of Levon’s Trade. Adapted from Chuck Dixon’s novel of the same name, the film is directed by David Ayer from a script by Sylvester Stallone with revisions by Ayer. The film follows Levon Cade (Jason Statham), a construction worker who is forced to tap into his black ops skills from a previous “profession” to save his boss’ daughter (Rivas) after her disappearance. Ayer, Statham, and Stallone also produce the film, which is currently filming on location in London. Levon’s Trade will theatrically release on Jan. 17, 2025.
Halle Bailey - Derek White / Stringer
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: Universal’s upcoming musical film, from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and producer Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures), will star Halle Bailey (The Color Purple/The Little Mermaid). Bailey joins Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves/Elvis) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers/Only Murders in the Building) in the film, which is set in 1977 Virginia Beach. The musical is inspired by Williams’ childhood - the creative grew up in the Atlantis Apartments in Virginia Beach. The project is also produced by Mimi Valdés and Gil Netter, and is written by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson.
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve/The Chair) is set to star in Aziz Ansari’s comedy film Good Fortune. Directed, produced, and written by Ansari, the film’s plot is currently unknown; as is Oh’s role. Ansari’s previous directing work includes his comedy special Nightclub Comedian and 11 episodes of his series Master of None, which he co-created with Alan Yang, who produces Good Fortune. Ansari’s feature also stars Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves, and Keke Palmer; it comes from Lionsgate.
Justin Lin - Rodin Eckenroth
Drama: Ariana DeBose (West Side Story/Wish) and Octavia Spencer (Truth Be Told/The Shape of Water) will star in the upcoming film Tow. The feature is based on the true story of Amanda Ogle, a homeless woman who fought back to reclaim her life and car after receiving a tow bill for $21,634. The film will be directed by Stephanie Laing, who will also produce; Jonathan Keasey, Brant Boivin, and Annie Weisman are penning the script. It is produced by (in addition to Laing) Ogle, Rose Byrne (who also stars), Brent Stiefel, Justin Lothrop, Brian O’Shea, and Danyelle Ford. Currently in production, Tow will also star Dominic Sessa and Demi Lovato; DeBose will also executive produce.
A biopic on motorsport driver Michèle Mouton is coming from Perfect Storm Entertainment. Justin Lin’s company bought Mouton’s life rights after seeing the documentary The Queen of Speed, which details the athlete’s journey of dominating a male-dominated industry. The four-time FIA World Rally Champion will executive produce the biopic with her daughter, Jessie Johnsson-Lüthy, while Lin will produce with Andrew Schneider, Sal Gatdula, Andy Holland, and Jessica Sinclair.
That’ll Be the Day, an upcoming feature focusing on Buddy Holly and other 1950s musicians’ birth of rock-and-roll, and their influence on society and culture, will be directed by Mario Van Peebles. Van Peebles also wrote additional material for the film. BMG, managers of the Buddy Holly estate and rights controllers of Holly’s music publishing catalog in the U.S., provided development funding, while Holly’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, is an associate producer. The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation’s Stephen Easley, David Hirshland, and Peter Bradley, Jr. will executive produce.
The play Lines in the Dust is set to be adapted for the screen and executive produced by Desean Terry (The Morning Show) and Nicole Salter (In the Continuum). The feature focuses on school residency fraud in Newark, and a Black woman facing prosecution for the crime. The feature will also focus on the systemic inequalities and challenges faced by marginalized communities when getting quality education for their children. Terry is set to direct the feature; he has recently directed the Lines in the Dust play’s West Coast premiere.
The Walt Disney Company
Industry Update: Trian Group and Blackwells’ nominees for Disney’s board of directors were not voted in by shareholders. The refused nominees included Nelson Peltz and former Disney executive Jay Rasulo. Peltz lost in a proxy fight, which had Disney spending approximately $40 million in convincing shareholders to not instate Peltz. Regarding the shareholders’ voting, Peltz had less than 31% of the vote, while current Disney CEO Bob Iger had 94%. Disney director Maria Elena Lagomasino won against Peltz two to one, while the director won against Rasulo five to one.
Apollo Global Management’s $27 billion offer for Paramount Global was not engaged with by the special committee instated by Paramount Global’s board of directors. The offer comes after Apollo Global Management’s previous offer of $11 billion for Paramount Pictures alone, which was also not engaged with. Recently, Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder and president of National Amusements Inc., has entered a negotiating period with Skydance Media to sell her stake in National Amusements Inc. Doing so could allow Skydance and Paramount Global to merge. NAI and Skydance have entered into a provisional agreement, likely outlining the terms of a possible deal.
The Producers Guild of America’s Produced By Conference will begin this year on June 8, being held at the FOX Studio Lot in Century City, Los Angeles. The conference will offer a series on AI from a producer’s perspective and a behind-the-scenes look at how series from HBO and Fox are developed from their pitches to final products. The conference was established in 2008; its sponsors include BENlabs, FOX, National Geographic Documentary Films, and Sunset Studios, among others.
The eight fellows for BAVC MediaMaker’s documentary film fellowship program have been announced. The fellows will receive $10,000 each, mentorship, virtual workshops, and other opportunities during the 9-month program. The program is supported with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, among others. The 2024 fellows, and their projects, are Jamal Ademola (Ellas Vinieron de Las Nubes), Chelsi Bullard (Unfiltered), Caron Creighton (Wood Street), Julia Hunter (This is Me Loving You), Patrick G. Lee (Untitled KQT Project), Ivan MacDonald (When They Were Here), Khai Thu Nguyen (The Full Thao), and Pallavi Somusetty (Coach Emily).
Destin Daniel Cretton is launching his production company Hisako with Jeyun Munford, who will serve as the company’s president. The company’s mission is to highlight marginalized stories, with the conviction that storytelling can use emotions and experiences to unite worldwide audiences. Named after Cretton’s grandmother, Hisako is a continuation of Cretton’s previous banner; Nikitha Menon will remain as vp development and Ron Najor will remain as vp film. One upcoming project for Hisako is Cretton’s Naruto feature adaptation. Munford has previous experience as senior vp of production development at both Universal and Lionsgate.
At Cannes, MipDoc keynote speaker Dawn Porter (Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court/Luther: Never Too Much) will discuss how to navigate the challenging documentary industry. Recently, budget and distribution issues have hit the industry; at MipDoc, Porter plans to discuss how those working in the industry can adapt to face the challenges. Such measures include working proactively and collaboration, among other topics.
John Ridley has rejected claims by former employee Asta Jonasson that he underpaid her and that she faced discrimination while working at his International Famous Players Radio Picture Corporation. With a lawsuit detailing such, Jonasson is also suing ABC and the Walt Disney Company; according to the lawsuit, ABC did nothing in response to Jonasson’s complaints about her situation to them. While Ridley denied the claims, Disney declined to comment.
Netflix’s film department is beginning to be reorganized; it is rumored that 15 people will be laid off. It was also rumored that new Netflix film studio chief Dan Lin delivered the news; Lin recently inherited the position from Scott Stuber. Under the department’s restructuring, it is rumored that the department will be divided by genre. Ori Marmur will oversee action, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror films, Kira Goldberg will oversee thrillers, dramas, and family films, Jason Young will oversee comedies and romantic comedies, and Niija Kuykendall will oversee young adult, holiday, and faith-based films.
The National Hispanic Media Coalition is creating a campaign to educate Hollywood leaders about representation regarding Latinos, and the value of the Latino audience. The NHMC is doing so through a guide which lays out issues that have been persistent for Latino actors in front of the camera, as well as creatives behind it. The guide also discusses the lack of representation regarding Latinos in decision-making roles in the industry. Brenda Victoria Castillo, the head of the NHMC, will be meeting with senior executives in media and entertainment to discuss the representation issues.
