Exclusive: George Tillman Jr. to Direct 'And Then There Were None' Remake for 20th Century Studios

Happy Thursday, folks!

Yesterday, Deadline confirmed my Monday night scoop that Chris Hemsworth will star in Disney’s Prince Charming movie, which will depict the character as a bumbling idiot, according to Jordan Ruimy of World of Reel. Ruimy says the studio has high hopes for Paul King’s movie and that execs think it has Barbie-like potential. We’ll see about that…

Elsewhere around town, multiple outlets have put the opening of Venom: The Last Dance at around $60-65 million, and Ruimy went off about why that would be disastrous for Sony, but I've gotta disagree here. That would be a very respectable opening considering the sentiment surrounding the first two movies. Sony’s decision to make Venom 3 for a relatively modest price ($120 million) looks pretty responsible from my point of view, and this sequel shouldn’t have any trouble earning its budget back.

And isn’t that all that matters — if the movie is profitable? Who cares if it’s the lowest opening of the franchise? It’s not like there’s been a massive marketing blitz for Venom 3 like there was for Twisters this summer. Sony has kept its ad spend in check, so I think any opening with a ‘6’ in front of it would be a big win for Sony on the heels of Madame Web.

The studio should only panic if there’s a ‘4’ in front of this opening weekend figure, as that would certainly be a disappointment given that Let There Be Carnage opened to $90 million — and that was in 2021! But it’s not like Kraven the Hunter is going to open to $65 million… and if it does, it’ll be because audiences enjoyed this Venom sequel. I wouldn’t know how it is — no invite.

I was invited to the Borderlands premiere, however, and while I certainly appreciated the gesture from Lionsgate, I must note Variety’s report that the studio will likely be taking a $30 million write-down on that movie, which has grossed just $32 million worldwide on a far larger budget.

Borderlands was a gamble, no doubt, but when you don’t own a treasure trove of IP like the other studios, these are the risks you have to take as a studio, and the kinds of sacrifices you have to be willing to make.

Speaking of sacrifice, I’ve sacrificed a lot to be able to say what I want and give you fine folks the unvarnished truth about Hollywood. Today, I was turned down by yet another potential employer. I was supposedly their favorite candidate, but they couldn’t reconcile the fact that I insisted on continuing to publish this newsletter, which covers a completely different beat than the job I was up for.

But so be it. It’s their loss. I’m great at what I do and not a single one of my past employers would argue otherwise. The work has never been in question.

Of course, the best revenge would be to sell more subscriptions… but I can only do that with your help, so remember, gift subscriptions are available for the holidays if you have a son or daughter — or a niece or nephew — who would like to learn more about Hollywood, but prefers not to have their news neutered and spayed.

Outside of the scoops that I break, what I offer here is expert curation — I curate the headlines from all the trades so that nothing important falls through the cracks, I supplement their reporting with my own scoops and analysis, and I tell you which trailer you need to see that day.

So, tell a friend or family member who is interested in movies and supports independent journalism about this little newsletter, and tell me what you want more of — my “Remake This!” column? Comedian recommendations? Movie reviews? Interviews with young talent? Below-the-line coverage?

I’m ready to work for you guys, but closed mouths don’t get fed, so speak now or forever hold your peace…

Tonight, you’ll read about who is directing Hollywood’s latest adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, which is one of my favorite books ever.

There are also items about where Margot Robbie’s new movie landed, Alan Ritchson’s latest action film, and the new showrunner on the God of War TV series. Plus, my thoughts on the trailer for Ke Huy Quan’s action movie Love Hurts.

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