The progressive actor — a frequent and longtime critic of the president — appeared on Nicolle Wallace’s MS NOW podcast, The Best People, on Monday, where he tore into Trump and urged people to protest his actions.
“Trump is the enemy of this country, let’s not kid ourselves,” De Niro said. “It’s that simple. Everybody has to stick together to get them out and get back on track. We can all argue and fight about our little differences and all that. This is the big problem.”
When asked if he thought Trump would step down at the end of his second term, De Niro replied, “No way.”
“He won’t leave,” De Niro said firmly. “Let’s not kid ourselves. He. Will. Not. Leave. It’s up to us to get rid of him. We have to make sure … We’ve got to get rid of him. He’s going to ruin the country. People have to mobilize now and be ready for the midterms.”
In addition, De Niro made the case for people peacefully protesting and uniting against Trump in every legal way possible.
“Everybody has to get out there every way possible,” De Niro said. “This is our country. You know, I want my country back. I don’t want everybody going around with their MAGA flags and American flags like they’re the only ones [who are patriotic]. We are Americans, too. And there are more of us because we believe in what’s right and wrong; empathy, and kindness. Bringing the country together, not dispersing it … I understand tribalism — you stick with your own and all that. But this is way, way, way more serious.”
In fact, even if Trump dies, De Niro is concerned that the movement he’s created won’t go away.
Even if Trump dies for some reason — by having an illness or something — parts of that movement are still there, and that’s the scary part,” he said. “It has to be neutralized by the people who say, ‘Wait a minute, our rights are being trampled on.’ We have to stand up. Period.’”
During the most emotional part of the interview, Wallace played a clip of De Niro’s 1981 Oscars acceptance speech for best actor and asked him about why he’s always been driven to “lift up everybody around you.”
“You have to lift people up,” the 82-year-old Goodfellas actor said, his voice cracking and eyes watering. “You have to bring them together, period. You can’t divide people. You can’t win that way. It’s a no-win situation. It’s almost like our destiny to have this thing there attempting to destroy this country, and maybe not even understanding why. So it’s up to us to protect the country that we love.”
Trump has slammed De Niro repeatedly in turn, including today, when he urged the actor to leave the country on Truth Social, writing, “[Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashia Tlaib of Michigan] should actually get on a boat with Trump Deranged Robert De Niro, another sick and demented person with, I believe, an extremely Low IQ, who has absolutely no idea what he is doing or saying — some of which is seriously CRIMINAL.”
If you’re interested in De Niro’s comments, it’s worth watching the whole 40-minute video rather than just reading the cherry-picked quotes above because this is a very earnest, deep-dive conversation that gets into a lot of detail about the actor’s feelings on this issue.
Presidents use television for lots of reasons. Eisenhower used it to message cuddly. Bill Clinton used it to message cool. Barack Obama used it to message compassionate.
For Donald Trump, TV has served more purposes than most, including a chance to gain dominion over our mindshare (see under: all those televised rallies in the first campaign) or to seem like a martyr in the face of evil (see under: the 2024 RNC appearance right after the assassination attempt) — both of which helped him win elections many pollsters saw him losing.
Tuesday night’s appearance on all major networks for the State of the Union required some particular television magic. Trump’s approval ratings are abysmal, with the numbers consistently in the 35-40 percent range, a double-digit drop from a year ago. Independents, who will be key to many midterm races, believe the country is worse off today than a year ago to the tune of nearly 70 percent.
Could Trump use television to pull another polling and ultimately electoral miracle? That was the question hovering above the SOTU, and Trump responded by trying two key prongs.
The first was old-fashioned showmanship. Having been gifted the specter of a major U.S. win on the international Olympic stage, Trump grabbed the box and tore off the bow. The dramatic entrance of the United States men’s hockey team into the gallery early in the speech, complete with gold medals and USA sweaters, had all the trappings of a reality-show triumph. Mark Burnett, Trump’s maker and mentor, would be proud.
Members of the Team USA Men’s Hockey Team, including goalie Connor Hellebuyck, wave to the audience as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Trump’s talk about all the “winning” the U.S. is doing can’t be focused on affordability, which is a growing challenge for many Americans and seen largely as a loss So the president shifted to a kind of winning we all agreed on. Toss in some “U-S-A” chants, some good-natured jokes about goalie Connor Hellebuyck and the sight of Jack Hughes’ heroically toothless grin, and you have the makings of a perfect Trump small-screen spectacle in line with so many of his other effective small-screen spectacles.
Whatever your politics, the moment was great by pure TV standards. Sure, there were the five athletes who were conspicuously absent. Yes, ICE and inflation concerns continue to rock the country. But the scene on national television did what all good showmanship is supposed to do — make you forget about the facts and get caught up in the moment.
But this is the modern era, and television can’t just be used for great television moments. So Trump went to another trick, one honed by his years of dominating and mastering social media. He crafted a spectacle on TV he knew would go viral — knew would engage and engage again on all the platforms that prized the verb.
He asked Democrats to stand up.
“If you agree with this statement then stand up and show your support,” he called out to the chamber, proceeding to read the statement, “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
This substantively meaningless statement is of course an obvious trap, and a pretty brilliant one. If the Democrats do stand up, they look subservient to Trump and his ICE agenda and he affirms his power. If they don’t, they look petulant and dissenting of the first part of his message, about protecting Americans. They didn’t stand, and took the lesser of two evils.
Trump then implemented the next phase of his neat one-two plan, riding the sitting for all it was worth. He shook his head in performative disappointment and exclaimed, “Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself! Not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
Having crafted the perfect feelgood spectacle moment, which is what television is made for, Trump had now crafted the perfect outrage spectacle moment, which is what social media is made for. Needless to say, the bit did exactly what it was meant to do, going viral and causing many right-wing influencers to shriek online about how awful Democrats were. I suspect not much will be remembered about the speech itself and its awkward combination of fearmongering about immigrants and Panglossian visions of an America on the rise. But we will remember the afterburn of these two moments — a smiling USA Hockey Team, and a sitting USA congressional bloc.
Donald Trump concludes his remarks during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber.
The bad news, if we care about democracy, is that television and digital platforms have now been turned over to such shenanigans. Presidents have always used the medium for the message; to decry that is to be naive. But before Trump they’ve rarely tried to poison it — turn it into something whose sole purpose is to get us angry. Given how effective Trump has been politically over the last decade, there’s not a ton of reason to think it will stop; the outrage-farming will probably be adopted by plenty of future Democrats and Republicans alike. The medium may be the message. Unfortunately, that message is now fear and anger about other Americans.
But the good (or at least better) news, if we care about democracy, is that these manipulative moments may in fact be losing their effectiveness. We’ll see what the latest president poll numbers show, but early anecdotal reports, like the swing-voter panel CNN convened, did not seem to go for it. Creating viral outrage moments is not the electoral tool it was a decade ago when Trump began his disruptive journey — our social media itself is too divided, too wary, for even shrewd tricks like this to break through and sway undecideds. Presidents will always find new ways to have the medium deliver the message. But the angry message, at least, may not land like it used to.
Uma Thurman is back in killer form. Prime Video released the first trailer for “Pretty Lethal,” a survival action-thriller in which a group of elite ballerinas must fight their way out of a remote inn run by Thurman’s unhinged former dance prodigy.
The film follows five dancers — played by Maddie Ziegler (“My Old Ass”), Lana Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before “), Iris Apatow (“This Is 40”), Avantika (“Mean Girls”) and Millicent Simmonds (“A Quiet Place”) — traveling to a prestigious competition when their bus breaks down in a remote forest. Stranded and out of options, they seek shelter at a roadside inn run by Devora Kasimer.
The trailer wastes little time getting to the carnage. Kasimer’s welcome is unsettling from the start — gracious on the surface but clearly off. The inn grows more sinister by the minute, and it becomes apparent the dancers have walked into something they may not walk out of. As the threat turns violent, the group — still barely on speaking terms — are forced to set aside their rivalries and fight back together. The ballerinas draw on their physical training to fight back, using footwork, flexibility and, in one memorable moment, a pointe shoe — to survive.
Director Vicky Jewson, who previously helmed “The Witcher: Blood Origin,” describes the film as a genre mash-up that moves between horror, comedy and action. The film is written by Kate Freund and produced by Kelly McCormick, whose credits include “Bullet Train” and “Violent Night.”
“Pretty Lethal” premieres at SXSW on March 13 before streaming globally on Prime Video March 25.
David J. North has signed an overall deal with CBS Studios, Variety has learned.
North is the co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner on “NCIS: Origins,” which is currently airing its second season and has already been renewed for a third season. North will continue on as showrunner for Season 3 under his new deal. His fellow co-creator and current co-showrunner, Gina Lucita Monreal, will depart the series at the end of Season 2 as previously reported.
Under his new overall deal, North will create, develop, and produce projects for both broadcast and streaming. “NCIS: Origins” returns from winter hiatus on March 3.
North got his start in TV as support staff on the very first season of “NCIS.” He eventually rose to the rank of writer and producer before departing the show to work on other series like “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Scorpion,” and “NCIS: Los Angeles.” He returned to “NCIS” in the show’s 14th season, becoming an executive producer and co-showrunner. He remained with the show through its 21st season before moving on to “NCIS: Origins.”
North is repped by Manage-Ment and the Law Office of David Tenzer
“NCIS: Origins” follows the adventures of a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who was played by Mark Harmon in the mothership series and is played by Austin Stowell in the prequel. The cast also includes Mariel Molino, Kyle Schmid, Tyla Abercrumbie, Diany Rodriguez, and Caleb Foote. North, Monreal, Mark Harmon and Sean Harmon are all executive producers on the series, with CBS Studios producing.
With negotiations heating up over Netflix’s bid for Warner Discovery, the streamer’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos plans to visit the White House for meetings on Thursday.
Sarandos is sure to discuss President Trump’s recent demand that Netflix fire board member Susan Rice. However, it’s not clear whether Sarandos will actually be meeting with Trump at the White House, according to Politico.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Netflix should “immediately” fire former UN ambassador and board member Rice or “pay the consequences.” Sarandos responded in an interview, “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal.”
While Netflix is working to finalize a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and streaming businesses for $83 billion, Paramount Skydance recently increased its offer to $31 a share.
WBD’s board “will engage further” with Paramount to determine if a “company superior proposal” — a term defined within the language of its existing Netflix pact — can be reached. Netflix will have four business days to propose revisions to its deal if the WBD board finds Paramount Skydance’s offer to be superior.
Meanwhile, Paramount CEO David Ellison attended Tuesday’s State of the Union address as a guest of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
The Department of Justice Antitrust division is currently assessing Netflix’s market power and dealmaking, while Sarandos told Varietyrecently that he has been working hard to combat the perception that Netflix has an outsized share of the market.
“Most of the work that we’ve been doing is un-ringing the bells of a misinformation campaign. What is our market share? I mean, the market share is very clear. Nielsen publishes the market share constantly, called The Gauge, and it shows that we are 9% of the business. And if you put HBO together with us, we’re 10% of the business. And it certainly is nowhere near monopoly, which folks have been batting around the last couple of days, which is 50-70% market share. It’s insane,” Sarandos said Friday.
The cost of PC components has been skyrocketing as AI infrastructure buildout creates extraordinary demand amid limited supply. HP says that squeeze is now hitting PC memory especially hard, with RAM now accounting for 35 percent of a system’s overall cost.
“We did share last quarter that memory and storage costs made up roughly 15 percent to 18 percent of our PC bill of materials, and we now currently estimate this to be roughly 35 percent for the year,” said CFO Karen Parkhill on the company’s latest earnings call. She also confirmed that part of the company’s response will be price increases. Samsung similarly warned of potential price increases due to AI-induced memory shortages.
Higher prices have unfortunately become the norm for PC shoppers, especially in 2026, and the RAM crisis is playing a major role. HP interim CEO Bruce Broussard said that while he “believe the market will rationalize over time” the company is doing its best to add new suppliers as well as expand lower cost-sourcing for memory.
HP executives also said they are seeing stronger AI PC demand, saying 35 percent of HP’s PC sales are coming from AI PCs. This comes as the industry is seeing mixed signals, like Dell saying that consumers don’t really care about AI PCs.
AI has been eating up the world’s supply of memory and companies like Micron have even abandoned their consumer brands to focus entirely on B2B supply. Other components like GPUs have also been feeling the pressure.
Tecno just unveiled a rather intriguing modular smartphone concept design at MWC 2026. The standout feature here is likely the size. Most modular smartphone concepts start bulky and only get bulkier once attaching accessories. Tecno’s base smartphone is just 4.9mm thin, which is significantly thinner than a pencil and the iPhone Air.
Of course, the size increases with each attached module. However, snapping on the power bank module makes the thickness comparable to a standard modern smartphone. Another key feature here is how these various modular components stick together. Tecno has developed new interconnection technology that uses both magnets and pin connectors. This should make it easy to both attach and remove components.
The company says this phone has been designed to grow with the user through hardware expansion. To that end, Tecno has developed 10 modules. There are various camera lenses and something that looks like a dedicated gaming controller.
Tecno
While the magnets are for attaching, the pin connectors assist with power delivery. Data transmission between the phone and the modules is handled wirelessly, with the ability to switch between Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mmWave depending on where the user is located.
There are two colorways for both the phone and the ecosystem of accessories. There’s a silver-aluminum edition and a nifty-looking grey version. This doesn’t matter to actual consumers because, well, it’s just a concept design. It does look like the company’s magnetic attachment technology could make it to some actual products down the line.
The industry hasn’t quite embraced modular smartphones just yet, even though there have been some nifty concept designs. Google’s Project Ara prototype goes back more than a decade, and the same can be said of other concept designs that never saw the light of day.
NBC has cast the lead role in another of its pilots — in this case tapping Jake Johnson to lead a comedy about an L.A. private investigator.
Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) will star in the currently untitled show from Brooklyn Nine-Nine alumni Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici. The pilot, produced by Universal Television, has also signed Akiva Schaffer (last year’s The Naked Gun) to direct.
Johnson’s casting also continues a run of actors who had roles on Fox series in the 2010s leading NBC pilots this year. He joins his New Girl co-star Damon Wayans Jr. (Puzzled), David Boreanaz (The Rockford Files), Emily Deschanel (an untitled criminal profiler drama), Peter Krause (Protection) and Jane Lynch (a comedy with Katey Sagal).
The logline for Goor and Del Tredici’s single-camera comedy describes it as “continuing the proud tradition of Los Angeles private eyes that began with Philip Marlowe and will end with this show.” Johnson will play Mickey, a smart, cynical and heartbroken — but trying to pretend he’s not — private investigator with a knack for the job. He was an LAPD officer until his life fell apart three years ago.
Goor and Del Tredici are writing the pilot and will executive produce alongside Schaffer. Johnson is a producer.
Johnson next stars with Dakota Fanning in The Sun Never Sets from filmmaker Joe Swanberg, which is set to premiere at SXSW in March. He also has two Apple TV projects on tap for later this year — The Dink, a feature comedy about pickleball, and the series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. He is repped by UTA and Jackoway Austen.
As Survivor approaches its landmark 50th season, returning players are chasing more than the coveted $1 million prize. For veterans of the game, a win carries added weight — legacy, redemption and the chance to reshape how their story is remembered.
Days before filming began in Fiji, The Hollywood Reporter was on location and asked all 24 castaways what would winning this potential landmark victory would mean to them. Their answers — ranging from emotional reflections on family and identity to candid admissions about pride, regret and unfinished business — reveal why season 50 isn’t just another all-star edition. Even after a quarter century, the drive to outwit, outplay and outlast remains intensely personal.
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Cirie Fields: I don’t even know that words would explain the feeling of accomplishment I would feel. I dream about it. I hear it, I see it in my mind. And when I see it, I’m thinking about how I’m going to be able to hold it together. The most important things in my life have been 20 years or more. My marriage, my children, my career. I’ve been a nurse for 23 years. So Survivor is as much a part of my life as my family. To end the era with a win that I’ve been chasing for 20 years? It’s too big to even imagine.
Jenna Lewis-Dougherty: I’ve had the longest time to feel regret about things that I did or didn’t do correctly. I’ve also had the longest time to lose sleep over this and wonder if I’d ever get a shot at being back. It would mean that I came full circle. It would be 25 years, a quarter life, of me playing Survivor to finally win. I’ve had 25 years of being known as a Survivor but not a Survivor winner — I’m not gonna miss this shot. Chrissy Hofbeck: I actually do think that’s going to happen, and let me tell you what I’m going to do with that money. About two years ago, I was diagnosed with the BRCA gene. Eight weeks later I had my breasts, ovaries, and fallopian tubes removed proactively. I also have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer and melanoma. I could potentially face large medical situations in the future, so I would like to put some money aside so I don’t bankrupt my family staying alive. When you play for your life, it lights a good fire underneath you.
Christian Hubicki: It would validate me coming here. It would validate my overall approach to not just this game but how I take to lots of things in life, which is aggressively and analytical but also full of heart, determination and drive. But most of all, I would be proud of what I can show to my newborn son. He was born six weeks ago and it adds a completely new dimension to the reasons to be here. It would show him that it was wonderful to play Survivor and do all the things I did that season, to get all the way to seventh place. But you don’t have to accept that as a ceiling. You don’t have to accept any ceiling. Dee Valladares: Winning would mean everything. That visualization is all I’ve been obsessing about in pre-game. I feel like Jeff [Probst, host] would be proud to turn that parchment over and say my name. I think he would be proud. The first thing I would do is go up to him and be like, “Are you proud of me? Please be proud of me.” This is his baby and it’s a huge responsibility to be on 50. I want to make sure I never take that for granted.
Mike White: It would be surreal. It’s already kind of like a weird dream come true to have played Survivor and be a part of this monumental season. I feel like I’m really in the Survivor family. So to win would be almost too much. People would come to my house and burn it down, I think. Rick Devens: First of all, I’d be unbearable. You think Sandra [Diaz-Twine] talks about being the queen? Just wait. I don’t think I’d be able to control my emotions. It would just be overwhelming. As silly as it is to think about and imagine this game all the time — it’s given me so much to me and I’ve taken so much from it — the thing I haven’t taken from it is that crown. I’d almost be embarrassed by how much it would mean to me.
Angelina Keeley: Outside of having my girls, winning this season would be the honor of a lifetime. People would never stop hearing about it. I’d be that old grandma, at 90 in my rocking chair, being like, “I won Season 50,” and telling stories about the island and jacket. And my grandkids are going to be like, “We can’t hear about the jacket again, grandma.” To come back after seven years, and show growth and progress — to show that you fall down seven times but get back up eight — that’s the story of Survivor and that’s my story, too. Benjamin “Coach” Wade: If I’m the winner of Survivor, my life won’t change one bit. I’ll go back to being a school teacher. It wouldn’t matter if they paid me $5 million. I’m going to go back to being a teacher and give those kids that magic and love that I do every day, and focus on my family and put that money in the bank and just keep on doing the same thing I’m doing.
Emily Flippen: I haven’t let myself even think about that reality. You saying it is the first time I’ve even conceptualized it. Because I think it would mean so much. It would be a lot of validation for me in a way that I don’t give myself. I’m a deeply insecure person and very self-deprecating and don’t tend to believe in myself. I still want to be a realist, but also have a level of confidence I’ve never had before. It would just be validation that when you set a positive mindset and expectations for yourself that aren’t on the ground level that you maybe do better than you expect.
Quintavius “Q” Burdette: Coming into 50, what I believe right now is that I’m the hottest New Era player to play. If I were to win 50, I could start talking about being the hottest player in the last 10 years — legendary status. So to win this ultimate season with these players, some of which are already legends, to beat them out? That’s big time. My son would watch me win. My wife is a big Survivor fan and for her to say her husband is the winner of her favorite show growing up, it doesn’t get any better than that.
Tiffany Ervin: I’ve dreamt about that moment many times. Jeff is usually wearing a navy blue shirt when he pulls my name out of the urn and announces me as winner. Winning this season doesn’t just make me a great Survivor player, it cements a Survivor legacy. But beyond that, it means something personal because it means I was able to grow. I was able to actually take what I learned and apply it, and use it to get me to the place of victory I wanted to get to the first time. I would have actually benefited from the mistakes I have made in the past.
Colby Donaldson: Being able to pull it off this time would be me going out the way I came in. Although I didn’t win the first time, boy did I play a good game and I’m proud of that. I’m proud of everything that happened the first time I played and I’d love to replicate that. So to do what I did in Australia but actually win? For a 51-year-old that would be pretty sweet.
Kyle Fraser: If I win season 50, it finally means I’m the best at something. I said in my Final Tribal Council in season 48 that I want to be representative of my season. But I also want to be representative of this game. I care deeply about this game. Not only for what it’s done for my family but for the life lessons I’ve learned that I think have truly made me a better man. I would love, and be honored, to call myself the representative of Survivor. A two-time winner, twice within the span of a year who loves the game. If I won again, I’d be The Goat.
Kamilla Karthigesu: I’ve been watching this show since I was 10 and never thought I’d be able to play because they didn’t allow Canadians to play for a while. My dream came true. I got to play 48, I crushed it and now I’m here again. I can’t imagine what winning it would feel like. I remember sobbing the morning after 48 because I’d never been that proud of myself. Winning 50 would top that.
Ozzy Lusth: Winning 50 would allow me to found an eco-village and teach permaculture, and run mini Survivor experiences: bushcraft, spearfishing and surfing. A place for creativity, wellness and compassion. I would be able to share my love and connection to nature as well as my love of the game. Resilient communities will be valuable cornerstones of support as the world becomes more and more divided. A place to disconnect from the rat race and recharge in an abundance of nature, art and music.
Rizo Velovic: A slogan I go by is “If you’re dreaming big, dream bigger.” Winning Survivor 50 is dreaming the biggest possibility I’ve always ever wanted. I’m the first Albanian person to ever play Survivor and the fact that I now get to represent my country in back-to-back seasons and make them proud is something I’ve always wanted to do. Winning Survivor 50 would be the cherry on top of this entire experience.
Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick: Honestly, it would mean everything. It wouldn’t even be about the money. To prove to not only myself but my children that mommy really can do this and this is really hard. Harder than anything they can even imagine in their little lives right now. And then to all the people that have supported me for over 20 years who always believed in me, it would mean everything in the world.
Savannah Louie: Even though I’m living this dream right now, I haven’t even processed what happened in 49. As we were getting to the end, obviously I’m trying to win the game, but as we get closer there are things you’re proud of. And I felt in season 49 I couldn’t fully celebrate those moments because I was so focused on getting to the end. So when I think about what it would mean to win Survivor 50, if it’s anything like 49, I don’t know if I’d even be able to process what that means. Whoever wins this season will make Survivor history and to have my name be part of that history would be incredible.
Genevieve Mushaluk: I daydream about saying to my husband and parents when they pick me up from the Winnipeg Airport, “You will never believe it, but I won.” My dad would cry, my mom would think I’m lying just because it’s so fantastical and that type of stuff doesn’t happen to someone like me from Winnipeg. My daydream is their expressions when I get back to Winnipeg.
Aubry Bracco: Oh my gosh. I wouldn’t have words for what it would mean to win this season. It would be the culmination of the last 10 years of my life. I’ve played Survivor for 111 days, that’s a long time.
Joe Hunter: I get emotional just thinking about it, because what an honor it would be to be crowned the winner. I don’t take that lightly with this group. The impact would be so powerful and it’s because of who’s here. When you have that kind of expertise and skillset and are able to navigate that, it would be something to be extremely proud of.
Charlie Davis: That’s eternal glory right there. Legend status. And it’s $1 million. Let’s not forget that’s always the big ticket item of winning the game. Coming from someone who came real close to winning it, I can tell you I think about that a lot. It would be awesome to have.
Jonathan Young: It would be one of the best things that’s ever happened to me in my life. It would be an honor to be up there with the greats who have won Survivor. It takes a special person to come back out again. None of us knew what to expect the first time. Now we know — we know how hard it is. That’s very admirable. Whoever wins, they deserve to win.
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Survivor 50 premieres Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS, streaming on Paramount+. See how the cast is divided into their tribes here.
Searchlight Pictures has picked up the rights to the comedic horror novel by Grady Hendrix, which has been in development both as a film and series since being published in 2014.
Producing will be Brian Oliver of New Republic, Gillian Bohrer of Megamix, Adam Goldworm of Aperture Entertainment and Brad Fischer.
The book, Hendrix’s third published novel, told an Ikea-like furniture superstore named Orsk in Cleveland that becomes subjected to supernatural occurrences. To uncover the mystery, a group of employees sign up for a night shift, only to get way more than they bargained for, in a most sinister way.
Hendrix, who saw his horror novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism be adapted as a feature by Amazon, will exec produce, along with Quirk Books .
The book was initially headed to the small screen via Fox who had Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) and The O.C. creator Josh Scwhartz as executive producers. When that stalled, Horrorstör landed at New Republic as a movie project.
VP of production Richard Ruiz and production executive Apolline Berty are overseeing the project for Searchlight Pictures, reporting to heads of production and development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
New Republic’s recent output has included animated feature Transformers One and the live-action Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, as well as Michael Bay action movie Ambulance, which was produced with Fischer.
Goldworm is producing Hannibal at Netflix with Denzel Washington attached to star and Antoine Fuqua directing and Alpha at Netflix with Taron Egerton starring.
Levine is known for his ability to straddle genres with great agility. He’s traipsed in horror and horror romance with All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and Warm Bodies, trafficked in coming-of-age stoner dramedy with Sundance hit The Wackness, and traded in dramatic emotion and laughs in the cancer comedy 50/50. His last feature was the Seth Rogen-Charlize Theron comedy Long Shot.
While he has been spending time in the TV series sphere, he is returning to movies later this year with Mr. Irrelevant, a true life football drama starring David Corenswet that will be released December.
