Hollywood Hotline - Week of July 3, 2025
HOLLYWOOD HOTLINE Archives
Howdy Hotliners,
Feels like Tom Cruise’s latest Mission Impossible title -THE FINAL RECKONING - is an apt title for the times we find ourselves currently navigating and surviving in. I finally saw the movie yesterday, which made me yawn quite a bit. However, the movie didn’t exhaust me as much as reading the daily news headlines. There’s so many to choose from but Paramount Pictures paying Trump a $16mm settlement (open bribe) to allow their merger with Skydance go through is one random least-evil one.
TOP STORY:
RIP Michael Madsen (1957-2025) who played ‘Mr. Blonde’ in RESERVOIR DOGS (1992). He also wrote a book of poetry that’s pretty raw and real a la Bukowski. Not for the faint of heart kind of stuff. Just read a random snippet myself about Mr. Madsen having some high-risk random sex with a female stranger at two o’clock in the morning after buying cigarettes a new Bic lighter from the Mobil Mart on Fairfax/Susnet. She was upset with her boyfriend apparently. He bumped into her as she was crying on the payphone. Pretty gritty Meet-Cute.
Without further ado, let’s check the Hotline:
FUTURE FILMS:
DUNE Director Going to Call His Next Boss, Bond, James Bond
Shaken not stirred solid Open Directing Assignment hire or “get” as we say in the business. I’m sure he’ll make it look prettier than SKYFALL (2012). Book me for a tour. What tour? The Assassination World Tour!
Best Director Only Woman Ever Kathryn Bieglow Bites Back with a Bang!
“[A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE is] penned by Noah Oppenheim: When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.”
Sounds like a Mission Possible. Streaming on Netflix this October but will get limited theatrical release. Sigh.
David Mamet’s HOUSE OF GAMES Getting Two New Gamemasters
“Viola Davis and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II are set to star and produce in a re-imagining of the 1987 MGM feature film. It follows psychiatrist Margaret Ford, who gets caught up in the world of gambling while trying to help one of her patients, Mike Mancuso, deal with anxiety.”
Love the original. Only good movie Mamet ever made. Book me a seat at this poker table.
REBEL RIDGE Director Making OCTOBER - The Fugitive Meets Halloween
“Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources described the project as a fugitive thriller set during Halloween. [Jeremy] Saulnier will direct from his own script, with A24 producing and financing.”
REBEL RIDGE (2024) made my Top 10 last year. Book me for some of this cinematic candy!
Swiss Army (Farting) Man Crew Re-Teaming For (More Farting?) Comedy Film
“Plot details are being kept under wraps other then it being a high-concept, original comedy.” The Daniels are producing for Universal.
Bet you $5 Zoe Kazan is in it. Take my $5. Book me for farts!
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA AGAIN, That’s All
So everyone thinks Anna Wintour was Meryl Streep’s inspo for ‘Miranda Priestly,’ but I have the inside scoop! In 2004 AFI gave Ms. Streep their Lifetime Achievement award and Ms. Streep was very taken by then AFI President Jean Picker Firstenberg. Ms. Streep followed Ms. Firstenberg around everywhere for weeks leading up to the ceremony. Something no other nominee ever did. Two years later (2006) she made THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. And then it all clicked why she was following her around. For character research! True story!
Half the TRUE DETECTIVE Season 1 Team Re-Teaming for Movie
Matthew McConaughey is to play ‘Mike Hammer.’ “Skydance acquired the rights to Mickey Spillane’s and Max Allan Collins’ Mike Hammer franchise with plans to develop and produce the bestselling book series into a feature film.Hammer is the protagonist of a series of hardboiled detective novels, starting with 1947’s I, the Jury, becoming one of the most popular figures of the genre. With more than 250 million copies of Mike Hammer books sold globally, it often is recognized as the most popular American mystery/thriller series of all time. Hammer is credited with inspiring numerous other characters including Dirty Harry, Jack Reacher and James Bond, who Ian Fleming famously referred to as “the British answer to Mike Hammer.”
Yeah, sure, OK. I’ll check this out.
Director Doug Liman re-doing the epic mini-series. Seems very appropriate for today’s end-of-times vibes. Good primer for all of us ; Although SWINGERS meets THE STAND —gross out comedy about two guys trying to get laid in the post-Apocalyptic wasteland. “You’re so fresh water baby and you don’t even know it!”
“[A] feature adaptation of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s sci-fi action thriller SATURATION POINT for Universal Pictures. Minnie Schedeen will adapt the screenplay. In SATURATION POINT, Dr. Jasmine Marks leads a search and rescue mission into ‘The Zone’, a section of rainforest along the equator with a climate inhospitable to intelligent life. As she pushes further into the wilderness, Dr Marks discovers the Zone is far deadlier than initially believed and not all forms of intelligent life are necessarily human…”
Sounds cool. Book me for a reconnaissance tour of duty.
Director Darren Aronofsky Smells What The Rock is Cooking
“Set in turn-of-the-millennium Southern California, the story follows an alienated young man who comes under the influence of a motivational guru, whose intoxicating charm masks his morally questionable methods of manipulation and his own concealed darkness. We’re told Johnson will play the supporting role of the guru, with casting still underway for the lead role and other supporting parts.”
Meh. Both of these guys just aren’t doing it for me anymore.
Paging Dr. Jake Gyllenhaal for CODE BLACK
“[In this political thriller]: the country’s top heart surgeon is flown to D.C. to perform a high-stakes operation, finding himself led into a trap where his guile and genius become the only way to stop a plot that threatens both his family and the nation.”
What if SPEED but instead of bomb-on-bus it’s gun-to-head-of-open-heart-surgeron? Book me for a procedure, stat!
THE SOCIAL NETWORK Getting a Part II Because God is Dead
Someone just…push me into the pool.
Denzel Washington cashing checks all the way to the bank. That big bank in the sky.
Young Identical Twin Co-Directors Make Feature Film Debut About Psycho Twins
“[DAY OF THE LION is the] feature directorial debut of the Foscht Twins – Bianca and Dilara – 22-year-old actor-filmmakers from Graz, Austria. The Foschts wrote, directed and star in the film, described as a psycho-drama set in the late 1950s, about two sisters who reunite at their childhood home after the death of their father, “to uncover forgotten secrets and rip open old wounds. Two women drawn into a game of cat and mouse in the house of a dead man.”
Just what Hollywood needs. More identical twins co-directors. Another two-headed shark in the tank.
TRENDY TV:
Wong Kar-wai First Ever TV Series to Stream on Criterion
“Following a highly successful run in China, where it topped TV ratings and became the most-streamed TV series throughout the country, Wong Kar-wai’s 1990s-set drama BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI” will stream exclusively in North America on The Criterion Channel. Comprising 30 episodes, the show tracks the rise of a financial titan whose wealth comes in the wake of Shanghai opening its own stock exchange.”
This sounds lush and rich and layered and complex. Book me for these blossoms!
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN Series in the Works Because Gene Hackman is Dead
“Mel Brooks is said to have given the project, titled VERY YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, his blessing and will executive produce with a trio of creatives from FX’s What We Do in the Shadows: Stefani Robinson, who would serve as writer and showrunner; Taika Waititi, who would direct the pilot; and Garrett Basch. Also executive producing are Brooks’ producing partner Kevin Salter (History of the World, Part 2, Spaceballs 2) and Young Frankenstein producer Michael Gruskoff.”
What if GAME OF THRONES but neurotic slapstick comedy?
Jennifer Aniston is Glad My Mom Died
“[Aniston] will lead a series inspired by Jennette McCurdy’s memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” at AppleTV+. McCurdy is adapting her book alongside Ari Katcher (Ramy, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show), and the two will serve as co-showrunners. Aniston is also an executive producer.
Former iCarly star McCurdy’s book details the relationship she had with her abusive mother and the road to recovery she took following her mother’s death in 2013. “I’m Glad My Mom Died” became an instant best-seller after it was published in 2022.”
Never read but will check out. Not glad my mom died (1946-2022).
LAND OF THE LOST Getting Re-Booted as Series
Even though the 2009 movie bombed? Sure, why not? The original 1974-1977 series frightened the fuck out of me as a toddler watching re-runs on TV in the early 1980s.
STRANGER THINGS Creator Bros. Got Next Series Lined Up
“THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE is a crime-thriller [that] centers on Babs Dionne, a proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, who rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a Marine vet struggling with addiction. When a drug kingpin discovers that his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs’s youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn’t seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath.”
What if TWIN PEAKS but totally straight and not weird? Seems like everyone been chasing BREAKING BAD (2008-2013) ever since.
MAD MEN Jon Hamm Gonna Be Reporting on Mad Man in AMERICAN HOSTAGE
“Emmy winner Jon Hamm stars in the eight-episode first installment based on the first season of the scripted podcast of the same name, reprising the role he voiced on the podcast. Production on the series begins this fall in Winnipeg, Canada. Created by Shawn Ryan (The Night Agent) and Eileen Myers (Big Love), American Hostage is a psychological thriller set in the 1970s that tells the harrowing true story of Fred Heckman (Hamm), a beloved Indianapolis radio reporter who is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.”
I was pitched a feature film version of this project from a different producer for another actor awhile back. It was the first-ever breaking news event that went national. Truth IS more dangerous than fiction.
TANGY THEATER:
EMPIRE Actress Taraji P. Henson Headed to Brodway For Stage Debut
“Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer will star in a revival of Joe Turner’s “Come and Gone” on Broadway. Debbie Allen will direct the revival of the August Wilson play, which is the second in Wilson’s American Century Cycle and follows Black travelers seeking refuge at a Pittsburgh boarding house in 1911. The production is set to open in spring 2026 at a Shubert Theater to be announced. This marks the Broadway debut for Henson, known for her roles in Empire, Hidden Figures and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where she earned an Academy Award nomination.”
Taraji P. Henson is one of the most powerful actors to do ever do it. She’s going to set the stage on fire and electrify the audience.
Ferris Bueller and Mr. Show Going to Kerfuffle in Tartuffe
“Matthew Broderick will be returning to the stage alongside David Cross in an Off-Broadway re-imagining of Tartuffe. The production, which will feature a new version of Molière’s classic was written by Lucas Hnath.”
Never heard of the play but sounds like Waiting for Godot?
THE PRINCESS BRIDE: The Musical, As You Wish
“Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning songwriting duo Robert Lopez and Kristen ANderson-Lopez, two-time Tony winning director Alex Timbers and HAMILTON producer Jeffrey Seller have joined the in-development musical stage adaptation of the beloved cult classic 1987 film THE PRINCESS BRIDE, based on the novel by William Goldman.”
Plundering IP for profit!? Inconceivable!
It’s ‘Oedipus’ for the Modern Age
“Created and adapted by Robert Icke, the revival “transforms Sophocles’ epic tragedy into an essential, explosive, sensual human thriller catapulting the secrets of the past into a high-stakes present,” per the synopsis. “It’s election night. The polls predict a landslide victory. Everything is about to change.”
Sounds like the perfect way for Boomer Dads to learn Greek Tragedy!
A Reformed Prostitute Walks into a Bar Played by Michelle Williams
“Michelle Williams will star as the title character in an off-Broadway revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christie” this fall opposite Mike Faist in a production directed by HAMILTON‘s Thomas Kail. The synopsis: “In 1921, Anna Christie, a reformed prostitute, walks into a saloon on South Street and snaps one of the great lines in theater history: ‘Gimme a whiskey—ginger ale on the side. And don’t be stingy, baby.’ With that entrance, Eugene O’Neill cracks open a new age of modern drama. In this new production, directed by Tony Award winner Thomas Kail (Hamilton), Emmy Award winner and five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams takes on one of the boldest roles in the American canon.”
Watch these two fall in love and leave their spouses for each other!
An OnlyFans Model Did What With Who and How Many Now?
“Issy Knowles, the former model has created and written the one-woman Edinburgh Festival Fringe show BODY COUNT, which will explore the online universe created by the likes of Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips, who have shocked the internet by sleeping with up to 1,000 men in one day.”
BRB. Going to sign up for OnlyFans—
“The immersive short film experience DE NIRO, NEW YORK, which splices together and re-imagines scenes from more than 40 of the two-time Oscar winner’s films into one cohesive project. Billed as a “singular cinematic journey” co-directed by Sam Gill and Luke Neher, and produced by Tribeca Studios and Little Cinema, the film combines an original score with 360-degree spatial sound, allowing audiences to view De Niro’s work in a new way.”
Inside the Actor’s Studio student audience eat your hearts out!
Immersive PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Spin-Off Sounds Sexy AF
“The following requirements for attendance, the message states, “must be strictly adhered to”:
“You must dress in black, white or silver or a combination of these colours;”
“You must at all times conceal your face. A masquerade mask in black, white, or silver is required. Bring your own or purchase one at the door;”
“Finally, a word of advice. Do not wear high heels. Whilst in certain circumstances these can be appropriate, they could be treacherous as you tread the secret catacombs and dark crannies that I have prepared for you.”
The immersive experience will be staged at a building at 220 West 57th St. that formerly housed the multi-floored Lee’s Art Shop. The building has undergone extensive renovations for the production.”
Seems like the perfect place to plan thee perfect murder! Paging Dr. Murder, She Wrote!
Who Wants to Take a VR Roadtrip in an 1888 Mercedes Benz Prototype!? Who’s My Ride or Might Die?
“Sixty-six miles might not sound like a long road trip, but in 1888, Bertha Benz’s drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany was a historic journey. Bertha, the wife of automobile inventor Karl Benz, made the first long-distance drive in history, back when the vehicle was still a prototype, and the roads were barely there, and such a voyage was a revolution.That journey is the subject of Singer Studios’ virtual-reality (VR) experience “TRAILBLAZER: The Untold Story of Bertha Benz,” directed by Eloise Singer, who wrote the project with Jedidjah Noomen, and narrated by Daisy Ridley.”
Well, here we are. Book me for this VR 4DX drive for two.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Kung-Fu Classics Getting A.I. Karate Chopped :(
“A collection of Chinese film studios have set plans to reimagine the Kung Fu Classics in their libraries using AI technology. The studios partnered with the China Film Foundation announced their plans under the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project, a large-scale plan to restore martial arts films, at the Shanghai International Film Festival. The plan, first reported on by THR and Variety and subsequently confirmed by Deadline, includes the goal of remastering 100 seminal kung fu films, using AI to enhance the overall production quality of the films while preserving authenticity.”
Fuck me gently with your A.I. chainsaw
COMING SOON:
BUGONIA - Looks bugfuck bonkers
PROJECT HAIL MARY - Did ChatGPT write/Mid-Journey A.I. make this???
THE RUNNING MAN - (Indiana Jones “Snakes”): “Powell. Why’d it have to be Powell.”
EDEN - Not to be confused with EDEN (2015) that my buddy Hernany Perla co-produced
ROOFMAN - I read this for another actor back in 2020 and recommended but Derek Cianfrance was not attached, so they passed. What if CAREER OPPORTUNITIES meets THE FUGITIVE?
THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 - Still need to catch up on Chapter 1 but was never a fan of this series
SOVEREIGN - Nick Offerman thirsting for that Oscar
SENTIMENTAL VALUE - The Swedish Tenenbaums
SPLITSVILLE - Time to split
BONE LAKE - Get boned
BARRY LYNDON 4k - 🦴🦴🦴🦴
CINEMANIA - 2002 documentary on five NYC OCD Cinephiles. Makes Grey Gardens looks like Sesame Street
Pour one out for the late Michael Madsen. Make yourself one of his Kill Bill Margaritas that you serve in a re-purposed jar of some kind. Then put on one of his many films. Something preferably from the ‘90s! ;) Sit back, sip, and enjoy!
Until next week, Hotliners! Thanks for calling in.
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