Motion Picture: ‘Obsession’ Star Megan Lawless Leads Indie Rom-Com ‘Crushed’, Grammy Winner ‘Bad Bunny’ Leads Caribbean Historical Drama ‘Puerto Rico’
Action/Horror/Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Justin Lin’s Helldivers is in the process of recasting their leading man after Jason Momoa quietly exited the project due to unknown reasons.The project is still very much alive with Lin set to direct and Alan Ritchson in talks to star in the film based on Arrowhead Game Studios’ video game franchise. Sony had no comment on the project. If a deal closes, Ritchson would play one of the helldivers, with more roles to be announced. Key plot details remain under wraps. Helldivers is expected to hit theaters on November 10, 2027.
Sofia Wylie (The Map That Leads To You) just wrapped filming on Girl, the psychological crime-thriller from Destry Allyn Spielberg‘s (Please Don’t Feed the Children). The project filmed in Savannah, Georgia and stars Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus), Maddie Ziegler (Pretty Lethal), and Luke Newton (Bridgerton).
The film was written by William Danilow and is Allyn Spielberg’s sophomore directorial effort. The plot follows “the aftermath of a tennis instructor being found viciously murdered in a summer beach town where wealth and status control everything; a local cop must look deep into the instructor’s last days and his own complicated past to get to the bottom of the twisted case.”
The film is a production of Tetrad Studios, Crazy Legs Features, Valecroft, and 5 More Minutes Productions in association with Neighborhood Entertainment Fund. It’s produced by Roy Scott MacFarland, Tom Cappello, Scott Thigpen, Colin Bates, William Ramsey, Matt Groesch, John Sacchi, Marc Danon, and Jessica Fox-Thigpen.
Drama: Production is officially underway in the Dominican Republic on René Residente Pérez Joglar’s feature film screenwriting and directing debut, Porto Rico. Grammy winner Benito “Bad Bunny” Martínez Ocasio leads the cast. He stars alongside Viggo Mortensen and Edward Norton.
There are 11 new additions to the cast as production is underway: Richard Gadd(Baby Reindeer, Half Man), Rhenzy Feliz (The Penguin, How to Rob a Bank), Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds), Latin music icon Rubén Blades (Fear the Walking Dead), Alberto Guerra (M.I.A., Narcos: Mexico), Marcel Ruiz (One Day at a Time, The Body), Arian Cartaya (It: Welcome to Derry), Óscar Jaenada (The Losers), Carmen Machi (Broken Embraces), and Luis Tosar (Miami Vice).
Porto Rico is an epic Caribbean western and historical drama inspired by true events. The film blends historical scope with a visceral, lyrical narrative exploring Puerto Rico’s origins. Pérez Joglar and Erick Douât produce Porto Rico for 1868 Studios alongside Norton, Bill Migliore, and Michael Bederman for Class 5 Films, and Kwanza Jones produces for Supercharged Studios.
Esai Morales (Mission Impossible) and Kelsey Grammer join the faith-based drama His Heart. Principal photography is due to begin October 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City with a planned fall 2027 U.S. theatrical release. Miracle Studios and Brookwell McNamara Entertainment are getting behind the release. Soul Surfer helmer Sean McNamara is directing.
The synopsis reads: “Wisener plays the lead role of Ryleigh Thompson, a seasoned journalist whose career has taken her to war zones but her greatest battle is at home. Haunted by the death of a soldier who once loved her and is estranged from her husband Ben (Jonathan Stoddard), she is assigned to cover a miracle in Argentina. What begins as a routine expose on religious superstition transforms into an emotional odyssey forcing Ryleigh to face her fears, her faith and her fractured marriage. As she follows the story, based on true events, she must decide whether to expose the miracle-or embrace it.”
John Leguizamo (The Odyssey) has joined Oscar winner Micheal B. Jordan (Creed) in Miami Vice ‘85’. Lequizamo is slated to play the main antagonist, a cartel boss, in the feature according to unknown sources. The role marks a full circle moment for Leguizamo who appeared in multiple episodes of Miami Vice in the 80s at the start of his career. The film is produced by Dylan Clark/Dylan Clark Productions and Kosinski. Gilroy’s script is based on characters created by Anthony Yerkovich from the series he executive produced with Michael Mann; Eric Warren Singer wrote an earlier draft of the screenplay.
Leguizamo also recently shot Universal’s upcoming Exorcist movie starring Scarlett Johansson and can be seen next in Bullet Catch. He is repped by UTA, Mosaic and Jackoway Austen Terman.
Comedy/Dramedy/Musical: Siniqua Walls has joined the cast of Tom Segura’s ensemble comedy feature Golf Trip from Live Nation Studios, Hartbeat and All Things Comedy. In the film, three best friends have their annual golf trip ruined when they’re paired with the universally dreaded single. Walls is joined by comedian Andrew Santino, Timothy Simons, Heather Graham and Full House actor John Stamos. “Segura takes on the role of Chuck. An avid golfer known for his golf-focused podcast No Bad Lies, Santino plays Jason. Simons plays Don, with Walls as Mike, Graham as Margo, and Stamos as Ted. Jolene, one of the project’s producers, plays Stacy.”
Obsession star Megan Lawless is set to lead the independent romantic-comedy Crushed. In the romantic comedy, Lawless plays Joss, who is a romantic at heart. But she never seems to have crushes who feel the same way about her. Joss sets on a quest to find one perfect crush that might be the perfect person for her. The movie is shooting in Chicago. Lawless is repped by Alexander White Agency, 42 and Yorn Levine Barnes.This will be director Stephanie Donnelly’s feature directorial debut.
Industry: The Oscar-contending documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem, from director David Greaves has earned the eighth annual Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.The honor from the Library of Congress, The Better Angels Society, Ken Burns, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation comes with a $200,000 award, making it the richest prize in nonfiction film.
The documentary produced by Liani Greaves (William Greaves’ granddaughter) revolves around an extraordinary gathering in 1972 of surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance. The documentary is assembled from footage shot by Greaves' late father, William Greaves.They assembled at the Harlem townhouse of Duke Ellington for a once-in-a-lifetime reunion.
The investigative NAZA documentary which drew criticism from Israeli politicians is getting released in U.S. theaters. Filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and their team are pursuing a self-distribution model in the U.S. that will see the film open on September 30, 2026 at IFC in New York City. Then on October 9, 2026 in other major key markets.
The film was built around interviews with 24 anonymous Israeli intelligence and military officers and soldiers. The doc alleges the Israel Defense Forces set acceptable numbers of civilian deaths in Gaza in pursuit of Hamas targets. One of the whistleblowers cites an instance in which he says the IDF allowed for up to 500 Palestinian civilians to be killed in an attack on a Hamas target. Some of the sources allege Israel used AI to determine targets in heavily populated residential areas. This drew criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Former Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand has been named Disney’s first Chief Technology Officer. Anand will report directly to CEO Josh D’Amaro, starting in the post on October 2, 2026. The selection of Anand is an intriguing one given that Disney sent Character.AI a cease-and-desist letter in September of last year. The media giant accused the AI startup of unauthorized use of its copyrighted characters, one of several back-and-forths it had with AI players, including Google.
While OpenAI’s Sora video generator had sent shockwaves through Hollywood over the risk to intellectual property, Disney wound up reaching a deal with OpenAI in late-2025 for a partnership trading an investment for use of Disney characters. That agreement fell apart months later when Sora was shuttered.
AG Robert Bona says that Paramount’s California exit is David Ellison’s choice. “We, respectfully, didn’t think that the United States DOJ did an adequate review, and we thought we needed to step in to make sure we were protecting consumers,” California AG Rob Bonta said of a lawsuit that’s rocking Hollywood after 12 attorneys general sued to block Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Paramount-WBD suit is set for trial in March. The AGs secured a temporary restraining order early on, and Paramount agreed to delay closing the deal until next summer. The court has ordered two days of settlement talks in October, but the sides are far apart. Absent an agreement, Ellison this week escalated threats to pull Paramount out of California. It’s not clear where.
Bonta is looking for major concessions said to include selling WBD’s cable networks and keeping the operations of the two studios separate. Ellison is likely trying to calculate what compromises he can afford. He has promised $6 billion in synergies. The combined company would have about $80 billion in debt to service.
