Hot Rumor: 'Pillion' Star Harry Melling Eyed to Join Jennifer Lawrence in Zach Cregger’s Next Movie 'The Flood'

Happy Friday, folks!

I’ve got a little freebie to start.

I’m hearing there’s buzz around Response, a proof-of-concept hailing from Jason Rodelo, a prominent creator on social media, and Wesley Wang Media.

I was actually hanging out with an exec friend of mine when he got an email forwarded to him with a link to Response, so we watched it together, and I thought it was pretty good.

It follows four cops who respond to a report of a woman screaming in an abandoned building. They come upon a tent, and right away, it’s clear that something is… off. I won’t spoil what’s inside that tent, but I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the cops to open it, which is how I knew the short worked.

Normally, when you see a tent in movies, you’re inside of it, and you’re watching the shape of something move outside the tent. In this case, you’re outside the tent, wondering what the fuck is inside it.

I liked the score and cinematography, which together signaled impending dread, and some of the dialogue in the first few minutes is pretty funny.

But one of the main reasons I liked this short was the performances. I wish I could give the actors some credit, but I have no idea who they are. When I look back at my favorite shorts (Luke Greenfield’s The Right Hook, Cody Blu Snider’s Fool’s Day), it’s the casting that makes them work as well as they do. 

The short was produced by Wesley Wang and Caellum Allan, who helped Rodelo develop the short with a feature in mind. I believe it’s the first project Wesley Wang Media has shopped since Allan came aboard from Sony’s TriStar label.

Rodelo, whose background is in dance, boasts more than a million followers on TikTok and more than 700,000 followers on Instagram.

It makes sense that buyers would be paying attention to the strong response to Response, given how Hollywood has signed every TikTok creator with a decent idea and a following large enough to cash in on it.

Most of the stuff I’ve seen hasn’t been very good, but I can see why a studio or streamer might snap up Response, or why a producer might fight for territories on the project. As a short film, it doesn’t quite work, but it succeeds as a proof-of-concept because it hooked me and made me want to see this world fleshed out. That’s the whole point of a proof-of-concept — it should make the viewer want to see more.

When it comes to Response… I do. The only thing I don’t have is a link to share. Sorry!

Elsewhere, in a galaxy so far away that I don’t even know what planet they’re living on, Forbes reported that the net costs on next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter — as of this past January — were higher than the net costs of 2015’s The Force Awakens at the same point in production.

To be honest, I don’t know what any of that shit means, but I can tell you with certainty that Starfighter did not cost anywhere close to what The Force Awakens cost. J.J. Abrams’ 2015 reboot was far more expensive than Shawn Levy’s upcoming film with Ryan Gosling. You’ll just have to take my word on that…

Speaking of taking my word on budgetary matters, I’ve heard that the budget for Laika’s new stop-motion animated movie Wildwood is “astronomical,” to quote one source.

I’m seeing reports in the press that Wildwood cost $100 million. I don’t know what fantasy land that figure came from, but I’m told it’s way higher. In fact, I’m told that Wildwood is the most expensive animated movie ever made.

That would make it more expensive than 2010’s Tangled, which reportedly cost $260 million. It’s my understanding that the Wildwood team was in physical production for six years, and that DP Caleb Deschanel was on set for three full years.

The following is a rumor, and I’d take it with a grain of salt, but I was told by a very good source that Wildwood cost anywhere between $400 million and $700 million. The latter figure would make it the most expensive movie ever made, period, which is why I’m skeptical of that figure.

But $400 million? I have to say… I buy it.

Jurassic World Dominion cost $549 million before tax rebates brought it down to $465 million. The Force Awakens cost $536 million before tax rebates. So if you’re asking me if Wildwood, a gorgeous film of special care and meticulous craft, could conceivably have cost $400 million, pre-rebates (if there were any), then based on my conversations with sources, I’d have to say ‘Yes.’ 

After all, this is Laika, whose founder, Travis Knight, is both the director of Wildwood and the son of billionaire Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. This is a project that has been in the works since September 2011 — 15 years.

I’m rooting for Wildwood, which offered up the single best trailer I’ve seen all year. Sadly, the movie itself left me a little disappointed, and I was inclined to agree with much of David Ehrlich’s B- review at IndieWire. It brings me no joy to agree with Ehrlich, but I just call ‘em like I see ‘em, folks, and when Ehrlich is right, he’s right.

And finally, a quick update for those following the story of Jerry Falade, who lost his $2.5 million book deal for his debut novel, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, following accusations that he used A.I.

Falade has steadfastly denied those accusations, blaming a language barrier (Falade is Nigerian) for the red flags, none of which were raised by the world’s top publishers at the initial auction, which went off without a hitch.

I’m told that David Vigliano of Vigliano Associates is now repping the publishing rights, and that Paradigm’s Richie Kern is repping the media rights (replacing UTA), as there’s supposedly still interest from buyers despite the allegations, which are a much bigger deal in the highly ethical publishing world than in Hollywood.

Falade wrote an essay about the whole ordeal, pointing out how a growing number of Black authors have faced troubling accusations of using A.I. as soon as they found success.

Keep in mind, dear reader, that I made no such accusation, and merely reported on the situation as it unfolded in real time. Having spoken with Falade multiple times, I’m inclined to believe him, and I think it’s unfair that A.I. can invalidate years of hard work in mere minutes. It may be right most of the time, but it isn’t always…

Unfortunately, whether Falade consented to an A.I. review of his manuscript or not, he learned an expensive lesson about the dangers of A.I. and the rush to judgment it can cause without accounting for certain cultural factors.

We’ll see if he winds up with a Hollywood-sized payday at the end of this saga, and more importantly, whether the book is published, allowing readers to make up their own minds. That might be the real reward for his troubles…

Kern did not respond to a request for comment.

I’m working on a giant newsletter featuring my thoughts on a dozen new movies as well as the ongoing, uninspired search for James Bond and the latest Skydance moves, but for now, here’s a hot casting rumor that’s making the rounds.

Premium subscribers may now enter the Sneider-Verse to read more… and don’t be afraid to join the club, considering how much juice I just shared above. Thanks, folks! Have a great weekend, and don’t be surprised if you hear from me at some point, as I hope to share my thoughts on Clayface after I see it tonight, like an ordinary schmuck.

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