Last Resort Films: The Story So Far (Season 21-25)

 

Welcome to Last Resort Films: The Story So Far! Chad Taylor checking in here to take a look back at LRF’s illustrious past, five seasons at a time. In this fifth edition, we will cover seasons 21-25.

Season 21
This next era of Last Resort Films started on a bit of a minor note. The worldwide box office total is still the third lowest in the studio’s history, though the profit margins weren’t as bad. There were also only three films that notched an 80 or higher. The highest among those, Rodeo, continued Tom Cruise’s string of dramatic headlining roles post-Splinter Cell. A debut worth noting is Gigantor’s Joshua Collins, who has become a steady presence for the studio ever since.

The Void came away as the big winner on the night of the GRAs, perhaps a bit surprising if only because of it taking home most top prizes. It marked the first solo Best Picture win for Jimmy Ellis, who really owned the season with five films and fifteen GRA nominations across those films. It also solidified Jeff Nichols as one of LRF’s definitive directors, gaining his first GRA trophy after multiple nominations and steering several major franchises (Scion, Superman). More on that later.

Best Picture: The Void
Best Director: Jeff Nichols - The Void
Best Actor: Josh Brolin - The Void
Best Actress: Kate Mara - Rodeo
Best Adaptation: Odysseus - Part One - Andrew Doster
Best Original Story: The Void - Jimmy Ellis

Season 22
Looking back, Season 22 seems defined by its four top films: Open Hearts, Broadway, Black Hole, and Caesar Part II. All four had their own lane of buzz. Open Hearts boasted one of the strongest acting foursomes in LRF history, which in any of other season could’ve won all four main acting awards. It lost Best Ensemble to my film Broadway, which likely had the edge because of its bigger cast. Black Hole felt like a tonal relative to Death Dream, with John Malone rescuing the graphic novel from development hell and pairing it with the perfect match in director David Robert Mitchell.

And then there was Caesar Part II. While an undoubtable critical and financial success, it was in uncharted territory as an original based-on-a-true-story sequel. Up until that point, no sequel had ever won Best Picture (it has happened three times since) and no actor had won multiple Best Actor/Actress trophies for the same role (Sydney Sweeney is the only other).

This season was also notable for the debut of Jack Brown. His film OZ helped give a taste of things to come, with a dark take on the classic tale that would signify Brown’s future role as one of LRF’s preeminent horror writers. Oh yeah, and there were two Batman films this season with In the Shadows and Batman Beyond.

Best Picture: Caesar Part II
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino - Broadway
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio - Caesar Part II
Best Actress: Elizabeth Olsen - Open Hearts
Best Adaptation: Black Hole - John Malone
Best Original Story: Caesar Part II - Chad Taylor & John Malone

Season 23
Another resounding success of a season for the studio. It is currently fourth all-time in Total Box Office, on the back of strong showings from Booster Gold and Spider-Man. Even the eventual Best Picture winner, Judas Iscariot, earned $357 million worldwide for a profit of $133 million. In terms of critical success, the Biblical film remains a high watermark for the studio, earning a 97 Metascore (tied with Jonestown for highest all-time).

Beyond the box office, the season also somehow topped Season 22 in terms of its critical reception. Poison Ivy: Mind Games, The Producer, and Haven all notched 85+ Metascores; four films reaching that threshold had only happened once before, when five films achieved the mark in Season 5. But then you keep going down the list and the next set of films could’ve been their own Best Picture line-up in any other year; Berserker, Blue Ridge, Carpenter, Booster Gold: Back in Time. Insane stuff.

At the GRAs, Jeff Nichols won his second Best Director trophy in three seasons while Sydney Sweeney repeated as Best Actress for the surprise Poison Ivy sequel. In all, Season 23 will go down as a legendary ten rounds for the studio.

Best Picture: Judas Iscariot
Best Director: Jeff Nichols - Judas Iscariot
Best Actor: Tom Hardy - Judas Iscariot
Best Actress: Sydney Sweeney - Poison Ivy: Mind Games
Best Adaptation: Poison Ivy: Mind Games
Best Original Story: Judas Iscariot

Season 24
After the highs of Seasons 22 and 23, Season 24 had its work cut out for it. It started out strong, with The Big One becoming just the second season opener to notch a Metascore of 80 or higher —True West was the only other film to do it. The season couldn’t quite match the deep benches of the two seasons that came before it, as only two more films reached 80+ after that point and they both hit 89: Monaco and Natural Selection. If I can self-reflect, this moment might’ve been the peak of my career at LRF (I also had my last directorial effort that season with Everything Will Be Alright). I think Monaco vs. Natural Selection really distills what I have enjoyed so much about being a writer at LRF. I see them both as big, juicy projects that I would want to see as a moviegoer. A Paul Verhoeven erotic thriller starring Warren Beatty and Angelina Jolie? A Martin Scorsese sports film with a big sprawling ensemble? I’m there on day one! And that’s what’s so great about this place; it allows us to live out our dreams, write what we want to see, and share it with others. What’s better than that?

Best Picture: Monaco
Best Director: Martin Scorsese - Monaco
Best Actor: Warren Beatty - Natural Selection
Best Actress: Angelina Jolie - Natural Selection
Best Adaptation: Shoe Dog - Wyatt Allen
Best Original Story: Monaco - Chad Taylor

Season 25
We cap off this five-season stretch with the establishment of a new tradition for LRF: a James Bond film as the season-closer every fifth season. As if there was ever any doubt, it proved that Risico was no fluke. Christopher Nolan was replaced in the director’s chair by Denis Villeneuve, who has now signed on to make the next Bond film for Amazon-MGM.

On the whole, Season 25 feels like a grab-bag representation of LRF in the 20s. The new-look Marvel universe was fully flourishing with Nomad, The Hammer of Thor, and Scarlet. Horror continued to have a bit of a moment with films like Krueger, WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, and Revival. And then you have Believe It or Not!, which I still contest is one of the bigger surprises we’ve had at the studio; a Robert Ripley biopic makes a lot of sense, but Seth MacFarlane directing and starring turned a lot of heads—and the bet paid off! Those are the kind of swings that I always enjoy.

Best Picture: Carte Blanche
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve - Carte Blanche
Best Actor: Mel Gibson - The Punisher: Last Exit
Best Actress: Emma Stone - The Long Way Home
Best Adaptation: Revival - Chad Taylor
Best Original Story: Believe It or Not! - Lon Charles

_________________________________________________________________________


Box Office Top 20 (Seasons 21-25):
20. Judas Iscariot - $367 million
19. The Fall Guy: Trouble in Tahiti - $409 million
18. Jurassic Park: Another Adventure - $495 million
17. Atlantis - $507 million
16. The Hammer of Thor - $509 million
15. The Flash #2 - $542 million
14. Pocahontas - $543 million
13. Uncharted 4 - $575 million
12. Birds of Prey - $586 million
10. (tie) Caesar Part II / Man Made Machine - $616 million
9. Task Force X: Chaos and Madness - $620 million
8. Wonder Woman - $699 million
7. Fantastic Four: Doom - $727 million
6. Supergirl - $737 million
5. X-Men: Sinister - $844 million
4. Spider-Man vs. the Sinister Six - $1.21 billion
3. Carte Blanche - $1.22 billion
2. Booster Gold: Back in Time - $1.47 billion
1. Batman: In the Shadows $ 1.49 billion

The Trades with Reuben Schwartz (Season 36)

 

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of The Trades! My name is Reuben Schwartz and this is my annual look at the news, casting, rumors, and general happenings at the studio each season.

There’s no better place to start than Gray, seemingly the talk of the town these days. Roy Horne re-teamed with Luca Guadagnino for this visceral re-telling of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Some box office insiders claim the film’s controversial NC-17 rating put a natural cap on its earning potential, leading some to question Phil Dolan’s decision to keep that rating. Was the economic sacrifice worth it for a bet on creativity? There’s a few things to discuss here:

-A resounding success for Alfie Ellison and the International Development team at LRF. These projects take time and Gray shows that it was well worth the wait. This shows the promise of the premise, where it’s all about getting the right idea in front of the writer who knows how to make it come to life.

-Chalamet has had a bit of a whirlwind career at LRF. After a fairly prolific first ten seasons, he certainly hit a rough patch in the teens and twenties and had lost claim to status of most talented leading man of his generation. Don’t look know, but the combination of Roy Horne and Luca Guadagnino have slowly helped Timothee rehabilitate that stardom. He finally earned his first Best Actor nom in Season 31 with Hideaway and now seems likely to land a second for Gray. Multiple sources I talked to are eager to see what his next moves are as he continues to reshape this next phase of his career.

-Is horror about to finally have its moment? In 35 seasons, the genre has been a steady presence in LRF’s release schedule but has never won Best Picture. At the halfway point in the season, Gray has firmly taken the front-runner mantle and buzz is growing among the horror community.

But that doesn’t mean any of the races are uninteresting at this point. The pairings of John Malone and Jimmy Ellis have proved very successful in the past and Pirouette continues that tradition. Outside of Picture and Director, their biggest site of competition at this point may be in the Best Supporting Actress category, where the likes of Uma Thurman, Emma Mackey, and Bella Heathcote have been drawing up buzz.

We already have two strong contenders for Best Actress in Monica Barbaro and Cate Blanchett. Cate has one Best Actress trophy already for Guilt in Season 4, written by James Morgan. There is something poetic about her being in contention again, now with a different member of Mo Buck’s Writers Association.

The box office, as always, could use a little work. The massive flop of Stretch Armstrong was particularly disappointing, especially considering the pedigree of directors and star. On the bright side, the success of things like Donkey Kong Country and Boba Fett show promise—the former solidifying Nintendo as a brand to be reckoned with and the latter cementing Jason Momoa as an A-list star.

It will be exciting to see if the second half of the season can match the twist and turns of the first. The slate seems balanced in terms of familiar adaptations and based-on-true-stories with high potential. If we return here after Round 10 and there are more serious contenders in the Best Picture race, I would take that as a sign that we're in for a good season.

GOSSIP RAG (SEASON 36)

 

In this segment, we will delve into the inside dirt on some of the latest and upcoming LRF releases and the studio's stars....

FINN WOLFHARD

Finn Wolfhard took a big swing this season - and it might’ve missed the page entirely. When approached to star in the R-rated, adult-targeted adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid (yes, really), Wolfhard wasn’t sold on the idea.... unless he could also direct. Fresh off his co-directing debut with Hell of a Summer, the young actor-turned-filmmaker reportedly offered to take a pay cut on his starring fee if allowed to continue developing his directorial skills on the project. The studio agreed, and the result was a raunchy stoner comedy about Greg Heffley as a disillusioned twenty-something - a film that baffled longtime fans and never found its audience. Though the project bombed at the box office and was savaged for its concept and script, critics were oddly kind to Wolfhard himself. “The movie’s bad, but not his fault,” one review read. “He directed the hell out of a terrible idea.”

MONICA BARBARO

Monica Barbaro went back to her roots - en pointe. The Top Gun: Maverick headlined Pirouette, a Paris-set ballet drama from French director Maïwenn, and sources say the role felt like a full-circle moment. Before she was an actress, Barbaro trained in ballet and dance, and while she’s no stranger to the barre, she reportedly pushed herself harder than ever to meet the film’s exacting demands. Working with elite choreographers and shadowing real dancers inside the Paris Opera Ballet, Barbaro trained daily to capture the physical toll and artistic rigor of the role. 

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET & LUCA GUADAGNINO

When Timothée Chalamet and Luca Guadagnino reunite, expect beauty, desire… and apparently, chaos. Their latest collaboration, Gray - a sleek, modern reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray set in present-day New York - has already become one of the most talked-about films of the season, for all the right and wrong reasons. With the duo’s indie prestige and creative clout, Last Resort Films reportedly gave the team near-total freedom - only to be blindsided when the final cut arrived drenched in graphic violence, explicit sexuality, and scenes that made multiple executives audibly gasp in the screening room. Still, LRF president Phil Dolan chose to stand by his artists, greenlighting a wide release for the version that the MPAA slapped an NC-17 rating on. One insider put it bluntly: “It’s not for the faint of heart, but it might be a masterpiece." Predictably, the rating was a box office handicap, but even with limited marketing and theater access, Gray became one of the highest-grossing NC-17 films ever, falling just short of Lust, Caution's long-held record. 

JAMIE FOXX

Jamie Foxx isn’t just playing President Barack Obama - he’s becoming him. In the upcoming political thriller Kill Bin Laden, which chronicles the tense behind-the-scenes planning of the 2011 raid that brought down Osama Bin Laden, Foxx reportedly dove headfirst into the role with the kind of dedication he brought to Ray. Despite the cloud of mystery still surrounding his recent medical scare last year, sources say Foxx’s commitment never wavered. He worked with dialect coaches to master Obama’s calm, measured delivery, studied hours of archival footage and press conferences, and even consulted former White House staffers. “He came back focused, sharp, and totally locked in,” one crew member shared. “Whatever happened health-wise, it didn’t slow him down for a second.”

SYDNEY SWEENEY

Sydney Sweeney is stepping out of her comfort zone and into rock legend territory, taking on the role of Stevie Nicks in the hotly anticipated Fleetwood Mac biopic The Chain. Known for her seductive screen presence and emotionally raw performances, Sweeney is reportedly going all-in to portray the witchy, tambourine-toting icon - studying old concert footage, perfecting Nicks’ smoky vocals, and even working with a dialect coach to master her breathy, ethereal tone. Sources say Sweeney has been spotted around L.A. in flowing shawls and platform boots, staying in character between rehearsals and music sessions. “She’s not doing a parody - she’s trying to become Stevie,” one crew member shared. With vocal training, live performance scenes, and plenty of backstage drama on deck, The Chain could be Sweeney’s biggest artistic gamble yet. We won't know until the end of the season as The Chain is set to close out Season 36.

PREMIERE MAGAZINE #355

 

The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (SEASON 36 ROUND 5)

 

We're officially at the halfway point of Season 36, but the season still all over the place. There have been enough quality films to keep me engaged, but the box office has been living paycheck to paycheck. Here's The Roundup....

LUKE CAGE: THE PURPLE MAN

This is how you make a sequel. One of the easiest mistakes filmmakers make is simply trying to recreate what worked the first time. Dwight Gallo, Jimmy Ellis, and George Tillman Jr. wisely avoided that trap. The first Luke Cage embraced the gritty blaxploitation feel of early-'70s Harlem. Instead of repeating themselves, Luke Cage: The Purple Man shifts into the flashier disco era, and the movie's entire personality changes with it.

That's a risky move.

Change too much and audiences reject it. Change too little and they accuse you of making the same movie twice. Somehow this team threaded the needle. The new aesthetic feels fresh without abandoning what made the original work, and the Purple Man himself gives the sequel a completely different type of threat. It's a sequel that evolves instead of imitates, and that's exactly what franchise filmmaking should strive for.

ECHOES OF RED

Here's the frustrating thing about Echoes of Red: It's so close. The foundation is incredibly strong. The cast is loaded with talent, the central mystery keeps you invested, and Cate Blanchett finally gets an LRF role worthy of an actress of her caliber. It's been several seasons since she's had material this substantial, and she absolutely takes advantage of it. This feels like one of those performances that's going to linger in the awards conversation all season.

I have my issues with the movie—and we'll get to those in a minute—but when a film gives an actor like Blanchett room to really work, that's worth celebrating. Sometimes a movie doesn't have to be perfect to remind you why certain performers remain among the best in the business.

PROFITS

Now let's talk about the elephant in the room.

Less than half a billion dollars in total profits through fifteen releases. That's... concerning.

Season 36 still has time to recover, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine this slate reaching the billion-dollar profit mark unless the back half catches absolute fire. The problem isn't the blockbusters—they've done their job. The problem is that too many films are merely breaking even or losing money outright.

This season has produced enough quality movies. It just hasn't produced enough profitable ones.

1016 WEST MONROE

Jazz is fertile ground for drama. Chicago is fertile ground for drama. Put those elements together and you should have something rich, emotional, and alive. Instead, 1016 West Monroe never seemed to figure out exactly what story it wanted to tell.

Quitessa Swindell simply wasn't able to carry the weight of the film for me, and while Lewis Pullman and Diana Silvers both have talent, neither performance provided the spark necessary to elevate the material. More importantly, the screenplay itself felt oddly small. Not intimate—small. The story drifted from idea to idea without ever building much momentum, leaving the entire experience feeling unfocused and strangely underdeveloped.

Honestly, when the box office numbers came in, I wasn't surprised.

ECHOES OF RED

Yes...

It somehow lands in both columns.

Because this is exactly the kind of movie that frustrates me. The story is good. Cate Blanchett is excellent. Most of the cast works. The atmosphere is terrific. But then the screenplay occasionally gets... sloppy.

Whether those rough edges were intentional or not, there were moments where the mystery seemed less interested in logical progression than in simply arriving at its next twist. It's never enough to derail the movie, but it's noticeable.

And then there's Jessica Barden. I like Jessica Barden as an actress. I did not buy Jessica Barden as a detective for one second.

Maybe that's superficial, but casting is about credibility. The second she appeared in that role, I found myself questioning it instead of believing it. Does she even meet the police department's height requirement? I'm only half joking.

ON LOCATION (SEASON 36 ROUND 5)

 

1016 West Monroe

- Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Echoes of Red

- Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Luke Cage: The Purple Man

- New York, New York, USA

BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN (SEASON 36 ROUND 5)

 

1016 WEST MONROE

Budget: $18,000,000

Total Box Office: $12,992,089

Total Profit: -$22,124,357

While commercially disappointing, the result is hardly surprising given the film's challenging subject matter and niche appeal.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Never one to shy away from unconventional stories, Meirad Tako sees 1016 West Monroe finish 42nd out of the 47 films he has written for LRF in terms of worldwide box office gross.

GENRE RANKINGS

Drama: #396

Music: #25

ECHOES OF RED

Budget: $42,000,000

Total Box Office: $82,814,137

Total Profit: $10,590,000

Emerald Fennell continued her impressive start at LRF with another profitable theatrical release. While nowhere near the commercial heights of her debut, Echoes of Red demonstrated that the director's success wasn't solely tied to franchise filmmaking.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Through just two LRF films, director Emerald Fennell has now accumulated $886 million worldwide at the box office. While Supergirl: Power accounts for the lion's share with $804 million, Echoes of Red gives the filmmaker back-to-back commercial successes.

GENRE RANKINGS

Crime: #45

Thriller: #81

LUKE CAGE: THE PURPLE MAN

Budget: $81,000,000

Total Box Office: $249,978,106

Total Profit: $72,115,611

Marvel's street-level corner of the LRF universe remained a dependable financial performer as Luke Cage: The Purple Man comfortably entered profitability. While it didn't approach the studio's biggest superhero blockbusters, the sequel reinforced the strength of Marvel's R-rated strategy.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Among the 12 R-rated entries in LRF's Marvel Universe, Luke Cage: The Purple Man ranks 7th all-time in worldwide box office gross.

GENRE RANKINGS

Action: #186

Superhero: #108

Crime: #6

Season 36 Round 5 Total Box Office:

$345,784,332

Season 36 Round 5 Total Profit:

$60,581,254

Round 5 marked another profitable outing for the studio, with Luke Cage: The Purple Man accounting for over 72% of the round's total profit and leading a balanced slate anchored by two successful mid-budget releases.

Season 36 Total Box Office:

$2,781,001,751

Season 36 Total Profit:

$495,357,892

Five rounds into the season, LRF sits just shy of the half-billion-dollar profit mark, with blockbuster franchise films continuing to offset losses from more experimental prestige projects.

SEASON 36 BOX OFFICE STANDINGS

1. Boba Fett — $763,673,771 👑

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

3. Lobo — $480,893,956 🔥

4. Luke Cage: The Purple Man — $249,978,106 💰

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

6. Echoes of Red — $82,814,137 💰

7. Double Date — $80,369,160 💰

8. Gray — $62,441,218 💣

9. 1995 — $40,003,252 💰

10. Pirouette — $39,100,555 📉

11. Three Rounds — $34,386,590 💣

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

13. Heartbeat — $25,404,407 💣

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

15. 1016 West Monroe — $12,992,089 💣