Positioned as a tense and immersive descent into the Golden Age studio system, The Dailies will explore the fragile boundary between truth and illusion in an era where image was everything—and the cost of protecting it was often unseen. Set against the backdrop of a rapidly industrializing film industry, The Dailies centers on a man whose job is to assemble stories, only to discover one that was never meant to be told.
At the center of the project is rising talent Toby Wallace, who will take on the role of Thomas Boyle, a meticulous and largely invisible editor working deep within the studio system. As Boyle begins to piece together fragments of unused footage he finds himself drawn into a quiet conspiracy that extends far beyond a single film. Wallace’s casting signals a bold and character-driven approach, with the role demanding a performance built on restraint, observation, and an escalating sense of unease.
Directing the film is Josh Safdie, one half of the acclaimed Safdie filmmaking duo, known for crafting intensely immersive and anxiety-driven cinema. With projects such as Good Time and Uncut Gems, Safdie has established a signature style defined by urgency, psychological pressure, and deeply human characters caught in systems they cannot control. His involvement suggests a version of The Dailies that will lean into immediacy and tension, transforming the quiet paranoia of the story into a relentless, suffocating experience.
Rather than presenting Hollywood as a place of glamour, The Dailies will focus on the unseen corners of the industry—the editing rooms, the vaults, the spaces where narratives are shaped and reshaped. The film will examine how stories are constructed not only on screen, but in reality, as studios wield their influence to control public perception at any cost.
Early development indicates a visually rich and tactile approach to the filmmaking process, with an emphasis on analog textures—film grain, physical reels, and the mechanical rhythms of editing—serving as both aesthetic and narrative devices. As Boyle’s investigation deepens, the very medium he works with begins to turn against him, with missing frames, altered cuts, and disappearing evidence reinforcing the sense that the truth itself is being rewritten.
For any inquiries please contact LRF VP for International Development Alfie Ellison.
Project Details:
The Dailies
Original Story
In 1933 Hollywood, a low-level film editor uncovers footage suggesting a studio star’s death was no accident—only to find himself quietly erased by the very system that manufactured the illusion.
Attached Talent:
Star Toby Wallace
Director Josh Safdie
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