In Development

 

Gray: Uma Thurman (An Irish Rendezvous, Caesar Part III), Douglas Booth (Caesar Part III, Batman: Knightfall), and Bella Heathcote (The Big One, The Shadow) have all joined Timothee Chalamet and Jared Leto in the Picture of Dorian Gray update from director Luca Guadagnino - Gray. Thurman will play a member of NYC high society, Booth will play the brother of Suki Waterhouse's character, while Heathcote will play the wife of the artist played by Jared Leto. Roy Horne penned the update.

Echoes of Red: Cate Blanchett (The Betrothed, The Water Cure) is set to headline the thriller Echoes of Red, where she will play a grieving socialite accused of murdering her husband and struggles to piece together what really happened. Luke Evans (Becoming Carole Lombard, Red Lantern Corps) will play her deceased husband, while Vanessa Kirby (Justice League War, Twisted Metal) play her husband's mistress. Emerald Fennell (Supergirl: Power, Wuthering Heights) is set to direct from a script by Mo Buck (Gas Bar Blues, Tomato Can) - marking the writer's first film since Season 30.

Luke Cage: The Purple Man: Harlem's favorite hero is back for another round with Luke Cage: The Purple Man. Omari Hardwick (D.I.C.K., Robopocalypse) is back as Luke Cage, Olivia Munn (The Vacationers, The Fall Guy: Trouble in Tahiti) is back as Jessica Jones, and Nathalie Emmanuel (Among Us, Luke Cage: Power Man) is back as Misty Knight. This time around, Cage and company find themselves contending with the neighborhood being violently brainwashed. George Tillman Jr. (Luke Cage: Power Man, Big George Foreman) is back to direct another Marvel Universe entry, once again from a script by Jimmy Ellis (Rubicon Lies, Coriolanus) and Dwight Gallo (X-Men: Age of Apocalypse, The Lone Ranger).

Assassin's Creed: Eternal: Jacob Elordi (Tara's Wrath, The Lone Ranger) is set to headline a new blockbuster, globe and time spanning take on the Assassin's Creed video game series. Elordi will play Desmond Miles, a descendant of Assassins throughout history forced into a hidden war. Elordi will also play Miles' ancestors in various time periods. Emma Mackey (The House of Black, Sgt. Rock) will join him as Lucy Stillman, an employee of Abstergo - a company that forces Miles to live his ancestor's lives. Mackey will also play multiple character of the time periods. Director Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front) will make his LRF debut on the video game adaption penned by Roy Horne (Tara's Wrath, Scarlet Witch).

Darkness: Maika Monroe (Terror of the Lost time, The Tomb of Dracula) is set to take her scream queen status to the sets of Darkness. The film tells the story of a woman who sees only in black and white who can see terrifying shadow monsters during a blackout that others cannot. Camila Mendes (Justice League War, The Day) will co-star in the film as Monroe's roommate. Osgood Perkins (The Monkey, Longlegs) is set as director, while Jack Slipter (Detroit: Become Human, Queen Margot) returns to LRF as writer of Darkness.

Fletch: Glen Powell (Robopocalypse, The Avengers) has been given the monumental task of taking on the title role in a new version of the famous Fletch character, originally appearing in Gregory MacDonald's novels and most famously portrayed on the big screen by the one-and-only Chevy Chase. In this take, Fletch will be find himself embroiled in a murder-for-hire scheme in 1970s Corpus Christi. Christina Hendricks (Excalibur, Misfit), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Bunny, "The White Lotus"), and Kaia Gerber (Outcome, Mother Mary) have also joined the project. Hendricks will play Fletch's no-nonsense editor, Schwarzenegger will play a successful aviation executive plotting an elaborate escape from his own life, and Gerber will play Schwarzenegger's wife who suspects something is off. Richard Linklater (The Thin Man, Hands on a Hard Body) has been brought in to direct the project from a script by Chad Taylor (Starlight, The House Down the Street).

PREMIERE MAGAZINE #353

 

THE ROUNDUP WITH JEFF STOCKTON (SEASON 36 ROUND 3)

 

Nine films into Season 36 and I think we finally know what kind of season this is: wildly inconsistent, occasionally excellent, and financially confusing. This round gave us two genuine crowd-pleasers, one expensive misfire, and enough nostalgia bait to make every millennial in the audience suddenly want to ride bikes around their hometown again. Here's The Roundup....

1995

Look, I’m not going to pretend 1995 reinvented the wheel.

This thing is basically Stand By Me with a mid-90s coat of paint, a little extra sentimentality, and enough coming-of-age nostalgia to trigger flashbacks for anyone who remembers dial-up internet or renting VHS tapes. But here’s the thing: it actually worked.

Sometimes audiences just want a solid, emotionally sincere movie with characters they enjoy spending time around. 1995 knew exactly what it wanted to be and never overcomplicated itself trying to chase “prestige.” It had heart, charm, and just enough emotional honesty to overcome how familiar the formula was. Not every movie has to reinvent cinema to be good.

SOUNDTRACKS

After seven straight releases without much musical identity, Round 3 suddenly gave us two soundtrack-driven films. Was Double Date my thing musically? Not even remotely. But at least it had a personality.

Then there’s 1995, which came in like somebody raided the CD wallet of every suburban teenager from 1994 and somehow turned it into an emotional weapon. The soundtrack doesn’t just complement the movie — it elevates it. At this point, it feels like an immediate Golden Reel Awards contender for Best Soundtrack, and frankly, it might already be the thing to beat.

More movies should remember how much music matters.

JACOB JONES

Good for Jacob Jones. It’s easy to forget because he’s had a pretty consistent LRF presence, but Jones had quietly become one of those writers who kept getting opportunities without landing a true breakout success. 

Then comes Double Date, which — despite my personal issues with it — actually connects with audiences in a meaningful way and turns into a legitimate success story.

No, it doesn’t suddenly make Jacob Jones the king of romantic comedies. But after a stretch of poor results, getting a clean commercial win matters. Sometimes a hit is exactly what a career needs to regain momentum.

DOUBLE DATE

I’m happy this movie succeeded.

I really am.

But I just couldn’t get into it.

Part of the problem was the cast. Outside of Olivia Rodrigo and Joey King — who both understood the tone and had actual charisma — everybody else felt distractingly baby-faced. And the male leads in particular? I’m sorry, but charisma matters in a romantic comedy. If your audience isn’t at least somewhat buying why people are falling for these characters, the whole thing starts wobbling.

Maybe I’m just aging out of the target demographic here, but Double Date felt like a movie where everyone looked about fourteen years old trying to navigate adult relationship drama. The audience clearly disagreed with me, which happens, but this one just wasn’t for Jeff Stockton.

STRETCH ARMSTRONG

I hated the concept before I even saw the movie.

And unfortunately, seeing the movie didn’t really improve my opinion.

Here’s the problem: Stretch Armstrong stretches.

That’s the character.

There isn’t decades of mythology here. No rich emotional lore. No obvious cinematic angle. The filmmakers were forced to create an entire narrative ecosystem around a toy whose defining characteristic is basically “rubber guy.”

You could practically feel the strain of everyone trying to convince themselves this premise had enough meat on the bone for a blockbuster. Ryan Gosling tried. Lord and Miller tried. Giovanni Garcia definitely tried. But in the end, it felt exactly like what it was: a movie desperately stretching (pun absolutely intended) a paper-thin concept into two hours of entertainment.

BOX OFFICE

And once again… the math gets ugly.

Yes, two of the three films this round turned profits.

That should be good news.

Except Stretch Armstrong lost so much money that it basically swallowed those wins whole and asked for dessert.

This is becoming a worrying trend for Season 36: the season keeps generating winners, but the losers are losing big. Financially, it’s starting to feel like LRF is winning battles while quietly losing chunks of the war. At some point, the slate has to start producing more singles and doubles instead of constantly relying on home runs to make up for strikeouts.

ON LOCATION (SEASON 36 ROUND 3)

 

Stretch Armstrong

- Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1995

- Corvallis, Oregon, USA

Double Date

- Los Angeles, California, USA

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN (SEASON 36 ROUND 3)

 

STRETCH ARMSTRONG

Budget: $115,000,000

Total Box Office: $144,189,611

Total Profit: -$71,990,745

Despite recognizable IP, star power, and the creative pairing of Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Stretch Armstrong failed to gain traction with audiences and became the costliest disappointment of Season 36 so far. The toy adaptation now stands as a reminder that even major stars and big concepts are no guarantee of box office success.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Despite his reputation as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, Ryan Gosling’s LRF track record remains surprisingly uneven. Following Stretch Armstrong, Gosling now owns a 6-for-11 success rate (55%) at the box office across his studio appearances.

GENRE RANKINGS
Comedy: #36

Action: #247

Sci-Fi: #111

1995

Budget: $13,000,000

Total Box Office: $40,003,252

Total Profit: $15,766,699

A modestly budgeted coming-of-age drama, 1995 quietly became one of Round 3’s strongest financial performers. While far from a blockbuster, the film proved that smaller-scale storytelling can still find commercial footing within LRF.

BOX OFFICE FACT

1995 marks the 20th LRF project written by Joshua Collins. Despite being the lowest-budgeted film of the group, it ranks as his 12th highest-grossing project.

GENRE RANKINGS

Adventure: #90

Drama: #274

DOUBLE DATE

Budget: $20,000,000

Total Box Office: $80,369,160

Total Profit: $32,000,017

Romantic Comedy finally became a winning genre for writer Jacob Jones as Double Date turned into one of the quieter commercial success stories of the season. Strong audience turnout and controlled costs helped the film become an easy profitability win — and a potential blueprint for future rom-coms at the studio.

BOX OFFICE FACT

The fourth Romantic Comedy written by Jacob Jones became not only his highest-grossing entry in the genre, but also his first profitable one, following the financial failures of Corndog (Season 18, -$33M), Dating Vanessa (Season 30, -$29M), and Guy on the Fly (Season 31, -$21M).

GENRE RANKINGS

Romantic Comedy: #2

Round 3 Total Box Office:

$264,562,023

Round 3 Total Profit:

-$24,224,029

Round 3 became the first losing round of Season 36, with Stretch Armstrong’s massive underperformance overwhelming the quieter successes of 1995 and Double Date.

Season 36 Total Box Office:

$1,865,562,683

Season 36 Total Profit:

$382,125,217

Even with Round 3 ending in the red, Season 36 remains on exceptionally strong footing thanks to the massive early performances of Boba Fett and Donkey Kong Country.

SEASON 36 BOX OFFICE STANDINGS

1. Boba Fett — $763,673,771 👑

2. Donkey Kong Country — $720,434,668 👑

3. Stretch Armstrong — $144,189,611 ☠️

4. Double Date — $80,369,160 💰

5. 1995 — $40,003,252 💰

6. Pirouette — $39,100,555 📉

7. Three Rounds — $34,386,590 💣

8. Heartbeat — $25,404,407 💣

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid — $18,000,669 💣

LRF TRIVIA TIDBITS (SEASON 36 ROUND 3)

 

Round 3 of Season 36 is a reminder that success in LRF rarely follows a predictable formula. One film reunited proven collaborators on an unlikely blockbuster gamble, another elevated one of the studio’s fastest-rising young performers, and a third quietly became an unexpected high-water mark for a writer still finding his footing in romantic comedy.

Stretch Armstrong

Stretch Armstrong quickly reunited Ryan Gosling with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller following their collaboration on Project Hail Mary. The pairing seemed like an easy win on paper, but the unusual adaptation of the classic action figure line ultimately became one of Season 36’s more surprising financial disappointments.

1995

By the time 1995 entered production, Nell Fisher had quietly emerged as one of LRF’s top young breakout performers. Entering her third film for the studio, Fisher arrived with serious momentum following a Best Supporting Actress Golden Reel nomination for Tethered in Season 34 and another major boost from Best Picture nominee Dust Saint in Season 35, making her the clear marquee young name in the cast.

Double Date

For writer Jacob Jones, Double Date represents a major leap forward. The Olivia Rodrigo-led rom-com became his most successful effort in the genre by a wide margin, outperforming his previous romantic comedies in both box office profitability and critical reception—suggesting Jones may have finally cracked the formula after several earlier swings.

Release: Double Date

 

Double Date

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Writer: Jacob Jones

Cast: Olivia Rodrigo, Joey King, David Iacono, Xolo Mariduena, Niles Fitch, Madison Wolfe

Budget: $20,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $56,079,110

Foreign Box Office: $24,290,050

Total Profit: $32,000,017

Reaction: Compared to writer Jacob Jones' previous Romantic Comedy films, this one practically did Avatar numbers - a very welcome sight.

"While its characters are charming and the central relationship dynamics are rooted in recognizable, relatable insecurity, the story lingers too long on repetitive beats and indulgent set pieces that dilute its emotional payoff. Moments of genuine warmth and self-reflection, particularly in its quieter character arcs, are undercut by abrupt shifts into broad comedy or moral lecturing. Still, beneath the excess is a solid romantic core that suggests a tighter cut could have delivered a sharper, more confident crowd-pleaser." - Dexter Quinn, Cinematic Observer Newsletter

"Double Date is a messy but charming romantic comedy that leans into its chaotic energy. Nicholas Stoller keeps things moving with sharp comedic beats, and Olivia Rodrigo and Joey King share an easy, believable chemistry. The film’s strength lies in its willingness to let its characters be flawed and impulsive, even if the narrative occasionally spirals. It’s uneven, but often funny and relatable." - Sabrina Cole, Pop Cinema Review

"While Double Date has a likable cast, it struggles under the weight of its own chaotic structure. The story jumps from scenario to scenario without clear momentum, and much of the humor relies on repetitive awkwardness rather than sharp writing. The central conflict feels drawn out and avoidable, making the characters’ decisions frustrating rather than engaging. Rodrigo and King do what they can, but the film often feels more scattered than satisfying. And once again, writer Jacob Jones has basically spelled out the moral message of his story so broadly that it robs the viewer of any satisfaction in the end, resulting in another eye-rolling ending." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated R for sexual content and language