IN DEVELOPMENT

 

Echoes of Red: Rounding out the cast of Emerald Fennell's latest directorial effort - Echoes of Red - will be Robin Wright (Halo 5, Here), Mark Strong (Fragments of Heart, The Betrothed), and Ben Whishaw (Care of Death, Crowley). Mo Buck penned the thriller - his first LRF script since Season 30.

Assassin's Creed: Eternal: Jacob Elordi and Emma Mackey will have more company in LRF's big budget, time-hopping take on the Assassin's Creed video game franchise, Assassin's Creed: Eternal. Dominic Cooper (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Strangers Friends), Barry Sloane (Batman: Duality, Queen Margot), and Marton Csokas (The Spectre, God of War: Kratos) have all signed on for supporting roles. Edward Berger is directing the video game flick from an adaptation by Roy Horne.

Fletch: The Glen Powell-led Fletch reboot has also completed its casting this round with the additions of Michael Stuhlbarg (The Vacationers, Heights) as a drug supplier, Joe Lo Truglio (Nomad, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine") as a lawyer, Toby Huss (Miracles, Gambit and Rogue) as the villain's father, and Danny DeVito (The Terminal Spy, Broadway) in a cameo as an aviation executive. Richard Linklater is behind the camera for this one. Chad Taylor has penned the adaptation of Gregory MacDonald's 1974 novel.

Voice: Director Ana Lily Amirpour's new futuristic music thriller has added Jared Harris (The House of Romanov, Poison Ivy) as a villainous musical genius, Genevieve O'Reilly ("Andor", Tolkein) as a cold government operative, and Raul Esparza (Cocaine Cowboys, Repeal and Replace) as the father of the main character played by Rachel Zegler. Johnny Mercer has penned the original story.

The Hulk 3: The Hulk is finally set to return to the big screen with Mark Duplass (The Avengers, Black Dublin), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Hulk 2, Newbury Street), and Don Johnson (Ruby Ridge, The Hulk 2) all back as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Betty Ross Banner, and General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, respectively. This time around they will race against the clock to stop a disgraced soldier who has become a monstrous gamma-fueled killing machine, the Abomination. Leigh Whannell (The Hulk 2, Insidious: Chapter 3) is back to direct the Marvel Universe action, with Mark Newton (Ghost Rider: Damnation, Pompeii) returning from the first Hulk film to write - he sat out The Hulk 2, which was written by H.G. Hansen.

The Song of Roland: The old French epic poem, The Song of Roland, is getting the Hollywood blockbuster treatment from director Brady Corbet (The Brutalist, Vox Lux) and writer Jimmy Ellis (Coriolanus, Rubicon Lies). Jonathan Bailey (The Dam, The Letter Never Sent) will star as the heroic night Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, played by Russell Crowe (The Lone Ranger, Caesar Part II). Javier Bardem (Spider-Man: Requiem, Nineteen Eighty-Four - Part Two), meanwhile, will play the villainous Spanish leader, Marsilla.

PREMIERE #354

The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 36 Round 4)

 

Round 4 gave us erotic horror, comic-book insanity, muted prestige drama, and — because this season apparently refuses to stop doing this — more uneven box office math. Here's The Roundup....

GRAY

Sexy.

Shocking.

Hypnotic.

Yep — sounds like a Roy Horne movie.

Gray feels like exactly what you’d expect from an erotic horror reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray written by someone whose entire creative DNA seems engineered to make audiences simultaneously uncomfortable and weirdly fascinated. Luca Guadagnino clearly understood the assignment too, leaning fully into the seductive ugliness of the material rather than sanding off its edges to make it more commercial.

And honestly? Thank God for that.

This movie feels dangerous in a way prestige horror rarely does anymore. It’s provocative without feeling desperate for attention, stylish without collapsing under its own self-importance, and committed enough to its vibe that you either fully surrender to it or bounce off immediately. I surrendered. Not every swing like this lands — but when it does, it’s unforgettable.

LOBO

I genuinely had no idea what to expect from Vin Diesel’s first solo outing as Lobo.

And after seeing it?

…I still don’t entirely know what I watched.

Was it good? Maybe.

Was it bad? Also maybe.

Was it completely, gloriously entertaining? Absolutely.

Vin Diesel commits fully to the absurdity of the character, and the movie wisely realizes the only correct way to approach Lobo is to stop worrying about dignity and just go completely off the rails.

I’m not even sure this thing works in a traditional sense. But entertainingly bonkers counts for something. Sometimes audiences just want to watch chaos unfold.

MUST SEE FILMS

Quietly, this season is putting together a stronger critical résumé than people may realize.

Two films — Pirouette and now Gray — have already earned the coveted Metacritic “Must See” designation through just four rounds. That’s not nothing.

In fact, the last season to accomplish that this early was Season 33. Having multiple films crack into that tier this quickly at least suggests the ceiling of this season is very high.

The question becomes whether more films can join them.... or whether this turns into a season carried by just two standout achievements.

BOX OFFICE

And just when it looked like we were stabilizing....

Nope.

Right back to two of three films losing money.

At this point, the Season 36 box office story feels weirdly repetitive: one success, two disappointments, repeat cycle, everybody shrug, move on to the next round. Yes, Lobo made money. But Gray and The Quiet Between Us both underperforming means we’re back having the same conversation we’ve been having since Round 1.

This season desperately needs more middle-class hits. Not every movie has to become Boba Fett or Donkey Kong Country, but the slate can’t keep functioning like blockbuster welfare is propping everything else up.

THE QUIET BETWEEN US

Maybe this one just wasn’t for me.

But wow.... this movie tested my patience.

The title really tells you everything you need to know because The Quiet Between Us is, for better or worse, exactly what it promises: quiet. Muted. Restrained. Soft-spoken to the point where I occasionally wanted somebody — anybody — to inject a pulse into the proceedings.

Now, I understand what Derek Cianfrance was going for. Aging, grief, terminal illness, emotional deterioration — none of this should be loud or melodramatic. But there’s a fine line between subtle and emotionally inert, and for me, this crossed it a few too many times.

I respect the performances. I respect the intention. I just didn’t particularly enjoy the experience.

AWARDS CONTENDERS

Here’s the thing nagging at me right now:

Where are the Golden Reel heavyweights?

At this point last season, we’d already seen films like Tara’s Wrath, Man of God, Dust Saint, and Discovery enter the conversation — movies that practically screamed “future nominee” the second credits rolled. Season 35 had depth.

Season 36? I’m not seeing the same spread.

Yes, Pirouette and Gray feel very real contenders. Johnny Depp already feels locked into the supporting actor conversation, Monica Barbaro feels like a serious threat, and Gray has obvious screenplay and soundtrack potential (maybe acting as well). But outside those two? Things feel murkier.

Maybe the heavy hitters are still coming. Maybe I’m underrating what we’ve already seen. But four rounds in, Season 36 feels like a season with standout peaks rather than a deep awards bench.

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN (SEASON 36 ROUND 4)

 

LOBO

Budget: $150,000,000

Total Box Office: $480,893,956

Total Profit: $78,674,598

The Main Man made an immediate impression at the box office, with Lobo proving there is still major theatrical appetite for adult-oriented comic book films. While not reaching the stratosphere of Boba Fett or Donkey Kong Country, the film comfortably became one of the stronger genre performers of Season 36 and a major win for DC within LRF.

BOX OFFICE FACT

With a $150 million budget and nearly $481 million worldwide, Lobo now stands as both the most expensive and highest-grossing R-rated superhero film in LRF history.

GENRE RANKINGS
Action: #111

Superhero: #67

Sci-Fi: #45

GRAY

Budget: $45,000,000

Total Box Office: $62,441,218

Total Profit: -$19,000,400

Luca Guadagnino’s erotic horror gamble generated curiosity but ultimately failed to turn controversy into meaningful box office success. While the film found a niche audience, the restrictive NC-17 rating once again proved commercially limiting for the studio.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Gray became the fourth NC-17 rated film in LRF history. To date, Season 30’s Klitih: A Way of Life remains the only profitable NC-17 film released by the studio.

GENRE RANKINGS

Horror: #96
Erotic: #7

THE QUIET BETWEEN US

Budget: $20,000,000

Total Box Office: $26,319,562

Total Profit: -$7,022,777

Despite a respected cast and emotional premise, The Quiet Between Us struggled to break through commercially and became another adult drama unable to find a substantial theatrical audience in Season 36. The result continues a mixed LRF financial track record for one of Hollywood’s most reliable stars.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Across six LRF appearances, Denzel Washington now sits at an even 50-50 box office split, with losses on The Quiet Between Us bringing his success rate to three profitable films and three money losers.

GENRE RANKINGS

Drama: #338

Season 36 Round 4 Total Box Office:

$569,654,736

Season 36 Round 4 Total Profit:

$52,651,421

After the financial stumble of Round 3, Season 36 returned to profitability thanks almost entirely to Lobo, which accounted for over 84% of the round’s total worldwide gross.

Season 36 Total Box Office:

$2,435,217,419

Season 36 Total Profit:

$434,776,638

Four rounds into the season, Season 36 continues to be defined by massive franchise filmmaking, with Boba Fett, Donkey Kong Country, and now Lobo carrying the studio’s financial momentum.

SEASON 36 BOX OFFICE STANDINGS

1. Boba Fett — $763,673,771 👑

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

3. Lobo — $480,893,956 🔥

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

5. Double Date — $80,369,160 💰

6. Gray — $62,441,218 💣

7. 1995 — $40,003,252 💰

8. Pirouette — $39,100,555 📉

9. Three Rounds — $34,386,590 💣

10. The Quiet Between Us — $26,319,562 📉

11. Heartbeat — $25,404,407 💣

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

ON LOCATION (SEASON 36 ROUND 4)

 

Lobo

- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Gray

- New York, New York, USA

The Quiet Between Us

- Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

LRF TRIVIA TIDBITS (SEASON 36 ROUND 4)

 

Round 4 of Season 36 turned into an unexpectedly historic one for LRF—breaking franchise records, pushing content boundaries, and marking a sudden resurgence for a veteran performer who had previously been almost absent from the studio’s history.

Lobo
Lobo made history within LRF’s DC Comics Universe as just the seventh R-rated entry—and easily the most commercially successful of the bunch. Its breakout performance suggests there may be a stronger appetite than expected for harder-edged, adult-oriented DC storytelling within the studio’s shared universe.

Gray
While Gray ultimately lost money, it still secured a unique place in film history as only the fourth NC-17 release in LRF history - and the first not to be written by Meirad Tako. More impressively, the film became the second highest-grossing NC-17 movie ever released, trailing only the long-standing record held by Lust, Caution—proving controversy can sometimes translate into curiosity at the box office.

The Quiet Between Us
Angela Bassett’s sudden LRF resurgence continued with The Quiet Between Us. Across the studio’s first 35 seasons, Bassett had appeared only twice—Dishonest in Season 1 and The Stand in Season 11—but Season 36 alone has already doubled that total thanks to back-to-back appearances in Stretch Armstrong and now The Quiet Between Us.

RELEASE: THE QUIET BETWEEN US

 

The Quiet Between Us

Genre: Drama

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writer: Dawson Edwards

Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Tessa Thompson

Budget: $20,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $18,125,008

Foreign Box Office: $8,194,554

Total Profit: -$7,022,777

Reaction: The Quiet Between Us is a quiet drama that struggled to attract an audience. It wasn't a huge surprise since the subject matter isn't particularly marketable - even with Denzel Washington on the poster.

"While The Quiet Between Us is undeniably well-acted, its deliberate pacing and heavy emphasis on mood can feel repetitive over time. Scenes often linger past their emotional peak, and the film occasionally leans too hard on familiar “end-of-life” beats without adding new perspective. Washington and Bassett elevate the material significantly, but the script sometimes feels stretched thin, relying on silence and atmosphere where deeper narrative development might have helped. It’s moving, but not always as impactful as it aims to be." - Tony Klesko, San Diego Union-Tribune 

"The Quiet Between Us is a deeply affecting, intimate portrait of love and loss, anchored by extraordinary performances. Derek Cianfrance directs with patience and restraint, allowing silence and small moments to carry immense emotional weight. Denzel Washington delivers one of his most vulnerable performances in years, while Angela Bassett brings heartbreaking grace to Ruth. Tessa Thompson adds complexity as the daughter caught in the middle. It’s a quiet film, but devastating in all the right ways." - Alton Pierce, American Drama Review

"For all its prestige talent, The Quiet Between Us often feels dramatically inert, mistaking stillness for depth. The film leans heavily on well-worn end-of-life clichés—lingering silences, symbolic objects, strained family arguments—without offering much new insight into them. Scenes repeat the same emotional beats with minimal progression, creating a sense of stagnation rather than accumulation. While Washington and Bassett bring undeniable gravitas, even their performances can’t fully overcome a script that feels overly familiar and, at times, frustratingly static." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and brief strong language.