Motion Picture: Auli’i Cravalho Returning in ‘Moana 2,’ Dan Lin To Helm Netflix Film Division
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: A trailer for Jane Schoenbrun’s horror film I Saw the TV Glow has been released. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, the feature follows two classmates (Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine) who watch a television show, The Pink Opaque, that begins to blur with reality. The film also stars Lindsay Jordan (Snail Mail), Helena Howard, and Fred Durst. Coming from A24, I Saw the TV Glow will be theatrically released on May 3.
D.C. Young Fly (BMF, House Party) has joined the cast of urban thriller Break the Cycle. The film follows two brothers, Jay and Eddie, growing up in Memphis and their conflicting paths: Jay dreams of being in the NBA, while Eddie involves himself in street crime. In the film, Fly will play the character 4-Fingaz, a character with a tendency for thievery. Joining the cast with Fly is Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah; the film’s cast already features Cuba Gooding Jr., Vivica A. Fox, Vernon Davis, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Loretta Devine, and Kym Whitley. Break the Cycle is set to shoot in March in Memphis.
Kassandra Lee Diaz (Trifecta, You Married Dat) is set to star in the thriller Swoon. The feature directorial debut of Byron Manuel, the film follows a woman (Diaz) who is tied to a bed and manipulated by a captor into believing she is engaged to them. The film also stars Rich Morrow, DeRon Cash, Efrangeliz Medina, Dean Wil, Herbert Morales, and Del Harrison. Co-produced by Diaz, Swoon is the latest collaboration between Diaz and Manuel after Trifecta; Manuel directed and co-created that series.
James Gunn’s Superman has cast Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as Perry White, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Planet and boss to Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Previously titled Superman: Legacy, Gunn’s film is the first solo Superman film since Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013. The film’s cast also features David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, among others. Superman is set to be released on July 11, 2025.
The Bluff, a feature from Amazon MGM Studios & AGBO, is set to star Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Karl Urban is in talks to star. The film follows a former female pirate in the 19th century Caribbean trying to protect her family when the sins of her past catch up with her. Co-written and directed by Frank E. Flowers (Bob Marley: One Love, Shooting Stars), the film is planned to begin production this spring in Australia and will be released on Prime Video. Chopra Jonas will also produce the film.
The fourth Bad Boys film has added cast member Jacob Scipio (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Pieces of Her) to its cast; Scipio returns from the previous film in the franchise, 2020’s Bad Boys for Life. In the franchise, Scipio plays the estranged son of Miami-Dade police detective Mike Lowery (Will Smith). Franchise stars Smith and Martin Lawrence will produce and executive produce, respectively. Also starring Paola Núnez, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Eric Dane, the fourth Bad Boys film will release on June 7.
The Christmas-themed action-comedy film Dashing Through the Snow will star Gillian White (Trouble Man!, Outlaw Johnny Black) and Isaiah Washington (Grey’s Anatomy, Corsicana). Also starring Scottie Thompson (Hellfire, Murder at Yellowstone City) and David Koechner (Anchorman, The Office), the film follows a US Marshall (Thompson) protecting a fugitive (White) from a Santa hitman (Koechner), elves, and a bounty hunter (Hunter Ives) on Christmas Eve. The film is being written and directed by Prince Bagdasarian (Abducted) and produced by James Di Giacomo (Desperation Road) and Sasha Yelaun (The Old Way). James Di Giacomo will also star.
Eva Longoria - VALERIE MACON
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: Marlon Wayans’ fourth stand-up comedy special, Marlon Wayans: Good Grief, will premiere on Amazon Prime Video this summer. Set to be filmed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, the special will include personal loss and family dynamics as topics. Previous projects for the creative include the films Air and On the Rocks, and his endeavors during a first-look deal with HBO Max, which included the stand-up special Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is and the multi-act project Marlon Wayans Presents: The Headliners.
Eva Longoria (Land of Women, Flamin’ Hot), Ismael Cruz Cordova (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Undoing), Jack Kesy (Sheroes, The Killer), and Marshawn Lynch (Bottoms, 80 for Brady) have joined the cast of the heist comedy The Pickup. While the plot of the film and the four’s roles are unknown, the film comes from Amazon MGM and also features Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Keke Palmer, and Andrew Dice Clay. Written by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows, the film is directed by Tim Story of The Blackening. Murphy, among many others, will produce the film.
The animated Bob the Builder film has sparked a bidding war, with companies like Netflix, Amazon MGM, and DreamWorks Animation interested. Starring Anthony Ramos as Roberto, aka Bob, the film follows Roberto’s work on a major construction job in Puerto Rico. The film will celebrate the Caribbean Latin nations and their people. Written by Felipe Vargas, the film will be co-produced by Jennifer Lopez for Nuyorican Productions, with ShadowMachine also developing. The film comes from Mattel.
Auli’i Cravalho is returning to voice Moana in Moana 2. The film comes from a planned Disney+ Moana series that, after being impressed, Disney turned into a film. The sequel is one of two Moana projects currently in the works; the other is a live-action adaptation of the first film that Cravalho, while not starring, will executive produce. With Dwayne Johnson also returning, Moana 2 will release on Nov. 27.
Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent Productions will co-produce Jacques Audiard’s musical thriller Emilia Perez. With Audiard describing the film as an “opera libretto in four acts,” the film stars Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building), Edgar Ramirez (Carlos), and Adriana Paz. Unveiled last year, Saint Laurent Productions was launched by the Saint Laurent fashion company. Emilia Perez will be released in 2024.
Dramedy The Friend has added Felix Solis (Ozark, The Rookie) and Owen Teague (Bloodline, Reptile) to its cast in supporting roles. Starring Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, The Friend adapts Sigrid Nunez’s New York Times bestselling novel, which follows a writer contending with the aftermath of her friend and mentor’s death - which includes his literary legacy, a Great Dane, and three ex-wives. The Friend’s cast also includes Sarah Pidgeon, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, and Noma Dumezweni. The film is written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel of Montana Story; Watts will also co-executive produce.
Adam Beach
Drama: Malia Baker is set to star in and executive produce the survivalist indie drama Hair of the Bear. The film focuses on a teenager (Baker) who is sent to her grandfather’s (Roy Dupuis) wilderness cabin to be taught survival skills; her social media use gives her debilitating anxiety. However, the teen’s trip soon becomes a matter of her actually having to fight for survival. Baker’s previous projects include Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club, Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of The Dark?, and Paramount+’s (originally CBS All Access’) The Twilight Zone reboot. Hair of the Bear, the narrative feature debut of co-directors Alexandre Trudeau and James McLellan, is set to release in 2025.
Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso, The Sandman) has joined the cast of Apple Studios’ F1 movie. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film’s cast includes Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, and Tobias Menzies. The film will follow a former driver (Pitt) that returns to the sport with fictional team APXGP; Niles will play the mother of Pitt’s teammate (Idris). The film marks the second collaboration between Niles and Apple after the actor’s Emmy-nominated role on Ted Lasso.
Tristan Mack Wilds (Swagger, Praise This) is set to star in the holiday romance film The Day Before Christmas. Produced and distributed by BET+, the film follows two single parents falling in love while covering for each other on Christmas Eve after mixing-up their respective belongings. The Day Before Christmas is written by Trell Woodberry, produced by Perri Camper, and directed by Roger Bobb.
The Jackson 5 have been cast in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael. The Jackson 5 cast features Jamal R. Henderson and Jayden Harville as Jermaine Jackson, Tre Horton and Jaylen Lyndon Hunger as Marlon Jackson, Rhyan Hill and Judah Edwards as Tito Jackson, and Joseph David-Jones and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre as Jackie Jackson. The biopic’s cast also includes Jaafar Jackson, Juliano Krue Valdi, Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller. Michael is set to be theatrically released on April 18, 2025.
Lifetime has greenlit a fictional film based on issues surrounding court-appointed guardians. Using the working title The Bad Guardian, the film follows a woman (Melissa Joan Hart) attempting to regain control of her father’s (Eric Pierpoint) life after the court appoints him a guardian (La La Anthony) who takes it over. Directed by Claudia Myers, produced by Jeffrey Tinnell and Robert Tinnell, and written by Ashley Gable, the film will air later this year.
The animated and live-action film project She Creates Change, from Warner Bros. Discovery and Room to Read, will feature Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) providing her voice. The project, comprising six animated shorts and accompanying live-action mini-documentaries, follows six young women confronting life challenges. Chandran’s segment follows Keya, from Bangladesh, who uses Room to Read to learn about her local legal system and standing up for herself after being harassed by boys for speaking her mind and wanting to go to school. To celebrate International Women’s Day, the project will premiere in Asia on March 8, 15, and 22. She Creates Change is backed by a women-led creative team.
The third film in Tyler Perry’s four-picture deal with Amazon MGM Studios has wrapped production. A drama, the film stars Shannon Thornton (P-Valley, Mea Culpa), Tosin Morohunfola (Run the World, Lawmen: Bass Reeves), and Brittany S. Hall (Ballers, Dear Edward), among many others. Sporting the working title Joy Ridge, the film is written, produced, and directed by Perry. The creative’s previous two films in the four-picture deal with Amazon are the drama Black, White & Blue, and Divorce in the Black. Perry and Thornton previously collaborated on Mea Culpa.
Adam Beach (The Power of the Dog, Swan Song) will star in a film about Native American fire captain Paul Fullerton, one based on a true story. The film will focus on a career-ending accident pulling Fullerton into the uncharted world of marijuana; in 2016, Fullerton and his wife were unjustly accused of selling and distributing the substance. The film will be directed, produced, and co-written by Garry A. Brown (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Prison Break). Fullerton will executive produce the project.
Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions will shoot another feature in South Africa, one with the working title The Refugee. The feature follows the true story of a Sierra Leonean boy who, after losing his mother in the country’s civil war, eventually joins the Los Angeles Galaxy and is able to reunite with his mother. The film is the latest JuVee Production to film in South Africa after G20; Davis previously filmed in South Africa for 2022’s The Woman King.
Documentary: The first trailer and release date for the Hulu documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told has been revealed. Focusing on the ‘80s and ‘90s annual HBCU Spring Break phenomenon in Atlanta - including its origin and ending - the film will feature interviews with politicians, event founders, prominent hip-hop artists, and former partygoers. Such artists included in and producing the documentary include 21 Savage, Jermaine Dupri, and Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell. The documentary will premiere at the SXSW film festival before releasing on Hulu on March 21.
A trailer for OnBoard The Film has been released. Having been shown at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, the documentary focuses on the evolution of diversity on boards, as seen through the eyes of Black women in global corporate spaces. The film also focuses on Black Women on Boards, a global organization founded by Merline Saintil and Robin Washington devoted to increasing diversity on boards. The film was written and directed by Deborah Riley Draper (James Brown: Say It Loud, Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution) and co-produced and conceived by Saintil and Shannon Nash. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the documentary will be available on March 8, 2024 through VOD on Vimeo.
Gordon Main’s documentary London Recruits will open the 6th Joburg Film Festival. The documentary, composed of interviews, reenactments, and Super 8 footage, details the history behind London volunteers who traveled to South Africa in the 1970s during Apartheid and detonated pamphlet bombs. Based on the 2012 book, the production utilized the help of producer Robyn Slovo and Jacintha de Nobrega’s Arclight Productions.
Filming on the documentary Protest and Progress has begun. The documentary follows social activist and photographer Misan Harriman traveling the world and documenting activists fighting for movements focusing on equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental sustainability, among others. Debuting exclusively on Paramount+ in early 2025, the documentary comes from Doc Hearts and Paramount Television International Studios. Harriman will also executive produce.
The documentary Origin: The Story of the Basketball Africa League will feature Barack Obama, J. Cole, and Steph Curry. While the former president will discuss his work in Africa post-presidency and the challenges with the creation of the league, J. Cole will discuss playing in the first Basketball Africa League (BAL) tournament. The documentary will also explore The BAL’s work to bridge America and Africa. The doc will also feature NBA legend Joakim Noah, Nigerian born Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri, Cameroonian NBA star Pascal Siakam, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The Reading Rainbow documentary Butterfly in the Sky has received a theatrical release from AMC, and will be released digitally through Fifth Season. Premiering at 2023’s Tribeca Film Festival, the documentary goes behind-the-scenes of the PBS children’s series and focuses on the show’s creators and the challenges they and series host LeVar Burton faced in using television to cultivate a love of reading. The doc will begin a limited theatrical release on Mar. 17, followed by full runs in New York and other cities. The doc will be available via VOD beginning April 30; Roco Films, handling educational rights, will make the documentary available in educational contexts in April.
Dream Big: The Michelle Wie Story will debut on NBC and stream on Peacock. Coming from NBC Sports, Campfire Studios, and the USGA, the documentary will be helmed and co-produced by Maura Anderson, and will focus on professional golfer Michelle Wie West. According to Wie West, it is hoped the documentary can inspire young athletes. Dream Big: The Michelle Wie Story will debut in May.
The History Channel has ordered three documentary projects from SpringHill Company, two of which have been detailed. Both executive produced by LeBron James, the co-founder of SpringHill Company, the first sports the working title Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics, which showcases Black track and field athlete Jesse Owens’ medal wins in the 1936 Olympics. The second, with the working title Jim Thorpe, focuses on the first Native American Olympic gold medalist. Details on the third documentary have not yet been given.
DAN LIN - FRAZER HARRISON
Industry Update: The Producers Guild of America is advocating for health insurance for Hollywood’s working producers. The PGA is offering two possible ways that coverage can be allocated to producers: production entities can make contributions to industry-wide health insurance programs on behalf of PGA producers, or can create direct payments as budget line items for producers themselves to purchase health insurance. According to the PGA, Blumhouse, Berlanti Productions, Legendary, and MACRO have pledged to advocate for producer health insurance in their budgets.
The Sundance Institute and Disney have announced the first cohort for their Muslim Artist Fellowship. The four filmmakers are Kamau Bilal (Baby Brother), making their feature debut Brick Thieves; Razi Jafri (Hamtramck, USA, Three Chaplains), making the feature documentary Sanctuary, Purgatory; Sarah Mokh, making Diary of a Muslim Cynic; and Jumai Yusuf, making the animated series Layla and the Starship Afrotopia. The four filmmakers will receive $15,000 grants, personalized support towards projects, and networking and community-building opportunities.
Rain Valdez (Razor Tongue, Why Women Kill) is launching production company Rainbow Entertainment. The company, equity-centered and trans-led, is focused on elevating BIPOC and queer storytellers in all areas of production. The company is currently financing the indie rom-com When Jupiter Returns, Mahal, which follows a Filipino trans woman confronting the universe and falling in love with an inventor. The film is directed, written by, and stars Valdez. A portion of the film’s proceeds will start a Community Film Fund to help uplift the next generation of filmmakers. Valdez is also in the process of creating the rom-com Re-Live: A Tale of an American Island Cheerleader.
Dan Lin is Netflix’s new film boss, taking over the role from Scott Stuber. Having launched Rideback in 2008, Lin also has experience working as SVP Production at Warner Bros. Pictures. With Netflix, Lin has previously collaborated on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Two Popes, serving as executive producer and producer, respectively. Taking over as co-CEOs of Rideback after Lin’s leave are Jonathan Eirich and Michael LoFaso. Lin will begin his position at Netflix on April 1.
Susan Akinbola has become Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s VP of Development. At Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Akinbola will be responsible for developing a slate of original and IP-based features. Akinbola joined the company in 2020; she began her career there working on the LEGO Movie franchise. Other developments in the company include Kim Mackey and Jessie Carbonaro being added as EVP of Production Talent and VP of Production Talent, respectively.
The filmmaking duo Daniels’ (Everything Everywhere All at Once) next film has been set for release on June 12, 2026. Composed of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the duo’s feature will be the first project coming from a deal they made with Universal in the summer of 2022. According to the studio, the feature will be an “event film.” Such is currently the only detail known about the project.
Cineworld CEO Eduardo Acuna has unveiled the world’s largest 4DX auditorium at the Times Square Regal. The theater sports 296 seats, and the exhibitor partnered with cutting-edge cinema tech innovator CJ 4DPLEX. Acuna took the job from former CEO Mooky Greidinger last summer. The theater orchestrated a 4DX screening of Dune: Part Two as its inaugural showing.
Films have been added for a limited time on AppleTV+, with multiple titles available until the ends of March and April, respectively. Among those available until March 31 are Men in Black, Captain Phillips, Training Day, Good Burger, Bad Boys, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6. Some of the titles available until April 30 include Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond, The Bodyguard, and I Am Legend.
