Tag: HollywoodReporter

Pierce Capital Entertainment (PCE), the independent film finance and production company founded by Thomas Pierce, who served as an executive producer on Brady Corbet’s Oscar-winning The Brutalist and Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin, and Munich, Germany-based production company FilmCrew Media have entered into a three-picture co-production partnership.

FilmCrew, founded by brothers Kevin Schmutzler and Tobias “Toby” Schmutzler, had an award-winning breakout hit in Nawi: Dear Future Me, a Kenya-set child marriage drama that was selected as the country’s official submission for best international feature film at the 97th Academy Awards.

The partnership will launch with Champions of Nowhere, a feature documentary to be directed by Academy Award-nominated Ugandan filmmaker and journalist Moses Bwayo (Bobi Wine: The People’s President) via his Los Angeles-based Jajja Productions.

“Set against the backdrop of Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kakuma Football [aka Soccer] League [in Kenya], Champions of Nowhere follows a community whose shared love of sport becomes a source of identity, resilience and hope,” according to a synopsis. The project builds on FilmCrew’s existing ties to the region through its work on Nawi.

“While Kakuma Refugee Camp is known for its harsh climate and diverse refugee community, its inhabitants have found aspiration through the Kakuma Football League,” said Bwayo. “The once-desolate semi-desert now basks in hope, identity, dignity and a fighting spirit that speaks the universal language of sports. This project offers a window into what sports and a fighting spirit can bring to a community.”

The three-picture partnership brings together PCE’s independent film financing and production model with FilmCrew’s European production infrastructure and track record. Together with producers Lydia Wrensch and Caroline Heim, the Schmutzler brothers focus on producing culturally significant stories that address urgent social issues.

“Partnering with Thomas and the team at Pierce Capital Entertainment gives us a tremendous opportunity to scale our vision and bring important stories to a global audience,” said Toby Schmutzler. Added Kevin Schmutzler: “Our goal has always been to tell stories that entertain first, but also have the power to inspire action. With PCE, we found partners who understand both sides of that ambition.”

FilmCrew’s other projects so far have included Biking Borders, released on Netflix and Amazon, Tierbrücke (The Shelter), which documents animal rescue efforts during the war in Ukraine, and Robin: Watch for Wishes, a feature acquired by Electric Entertainment that supported an international campaign for children facing serious illnesses.

Most recently, the Schmutzler brothers’ original feature Beyond Day Zero was selected by the inaugural Next Narrative Africa Fund and is being developed with Trevor Noah’s Day Zero Productions. The story centers on the daughter of a water tycoon who joins forces with a township gangster to challenge the powerful system that divides their society.

Pierce Capital Entertainment is a Los Angeles- and New York-based film finance and production company focused on “commercially positioned independent films with global reach.” It targets projects with “cultural relevance, awards potential and international marketability.”

“This partnership represents an exciting expansion for PCE,” said Pierce. “FilmCrew has demonstrated that meaningful storytelling and commercial filmmaking are not mutually exclusive. Together, we look forward to building films that connect with audiences worldwide and contribute to broader cultural conversations and positive societal change.”

Additional projects under the partnership will be unveiled at a later stage.

During Hunter Biden and far-right influencer Nick Fuentes‘s soon-to-be-released interview — filmed in a Philadelphia studio designed to resemble a sleazy motel room earlier this month — the two opposing fringe political players tackle a range of topics including Holocaust denial, race in America and artificial superintelligence, according to a trailer for the Channel 5 interview exclusively shared with The Hollywood Reporter.

News of the unexpected Biden-Fuentes tête-à-tête — and the moment it apparently got so heated the conversation nearly turned violent — grabbed headlines when it was revealed last week. The interview was brokered by Andrew Callaghan, the creator and host of Channel 5, an offbeat YouTube news channel, and his publicist, after Fuentes reached out looking to do an interview that would shift perceptions about his brand, and Biden, who teamed up with Callaghan to do an interview that could “move the needle” in U.S. politics.

In the trailer, Biden appears to make good on a promise he recently made while appearing on the IHIP News podcast, to ask Fuentes — who has advanced white nationalism and white supremacy on his video podcast — why he is a Nazi, or at least the question is raised by Fuentes, who asks Biden about his interest in the topic in the trailer’s opening line.

The 1-minute, 25-second clip consists of a series of cuts from the two men’s lengthy and, it seems, wide-ranging discussion. It jumps from hot topics like the DEI debate to race and the great replacement theory to Holocaust denial — a view that has become synonymous with Fuentes and his brand, but one he says has shifted from over time.

“As far as Jews are concerned, in general, I think that everybody in the country should be treated with dignity and respect and have their civil rights,” Fuentes says in the trailer.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his recent speech at the city’s Fourth of July celebration also come up, with Fuentes complaining about his nonwhite guests, before the two get into the Trump administration. Donald Trump Jr.’s record-breaking loan from the Department of Defense is also discussed, followed by the president, and Biden offers a stark read on Trump.

“What about fucking Donald Trump? There’s no ideological core,” he said.

Biden’s stated goal was to reach Fuentes’ growing audience of young men known for their devotion to the video podcaster. He has also said he’s seeking to find common ground through the interview — a sentiment that closes out the trailer.

“I want to find common ground on how much of a shithead Donald Trump is,” Biden says. “We can get there.”

The Biden-Fuentes interview is scheduled to be released on Channel 5 later this month; an exact date has not yet been announced.

On Monday, Channel 5 also launched C5.NOW, which it describes in a press release provided to THR as a new “completely independent streaming platform … for outsider documentarians and independent filmmakers outside of Hollywood.”

C5.NOW was born out of Callaghan’s frustrations with streaming services. In the release, he says major streaming platforms censor filmmakers and provide little funding for documentary content.

“You are only as free as the platform’s terms of service,” Callaghan says in the video announcement for the new platform. “It’s smart to create a foothold outside of the controlled web. It’s time to hatch a backup plan right now. Worse than the social media platforms themselves in terms of censorship is the institution of Hollywood, which I would describe as a sickening, nepotistic, gatekept world of godless narcissists.”

C5.NOW is launching with five documentary films, all of which embody Channel 5’s spirit of untold stories and gonzo journalism. The films are: Starcrash, which follows people who study the planets to decide when to buy and sell stocks; Physician, Heal Thyself, a documentary following Gabor Maté, one of the world’s most famous experts on addiction and trauma; Rat Film, Theo Anthony’s film about the city of Baltimore seen through its rats’ perspective; The Art of Protest, about an anonymous art collective in decline and the history of creative resistance; and Callaghan’s Finding Orson, in which he joins Ric Shore on a wild goose chase in search of his beloved bird.

SiriusXM has signed a three-year deal with Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova’s hit comedy podcast The Bald and the Beautiful.

SiriusXM will exclusively distribute the show hosted by the RuPaul’s Drag Race alums through the SiriusXM podcast network. SiriusXM Media, the company’s advertising division, will retain exclusive advertising sales rights for both the audio and video versions of the podcast.

“I can’t believe it! I’m so grateful be a Sirius girl now. Sirius just got a whole lot prettier … you’re all welcome,” Trixie said in a statement.

Added Katya: “I am so excited about this incredible opportunity … it feels surreal joining the SiriusXM family, I am so grateful.”

Launched in 2020, The Bald and the Beautiful has earned nearly 100 million lifetime downloads on RSS. The podcast’s YouTube channel has amassed more than 770,000 followers, cementing itself as a mainstay on the comedy podcast charts.

Trixie and Katya first crossed paths when they competed on season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which premiered in 2015. From there, they continued to creatively collaborate with each other, beginning with the popular web series UNHhhh, which led to their sprawling professional relationship. Together, they also star in Netflix’s I Like to Watch web series and released their best-selling advice book in 2020. 

Separately, they both have found success and are regarded as two of the most beloved talents to emerge from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Katya returned to compete in the beloved second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, where she was a runner-up. Trixie subsequently revisited the series for All Stars season three and won the crown; outside of Drag Race, she has a successful makeup brand and starred in the Discovery+ series Trixie Motel, which tracked the real-life renovation project for Trixie’s Palm Springs motel.

New episodes of The Bald and the Beautiful will continue to be available wherever listeners get their podcasts, including the SiriusXM app and all major podcast platforms. 

The Bald and the Beautiful and Katya, as well as Trixie’s audio and touring work, are represented by UTA.

“The simple, the honest and human, as antidote to the complexity of life.”

That’s how Prada describes the vibe of a new campaign for the luxury house’s fall/winter 2026 collection, one filled with stars in front of the camera and an Oscar winner behind it. Prada tapped Barry Jenkins to direct the campaign, which features offerings from the men’s and women’s collections designed by creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons and worn by brand ambassadors Kelvin Harrison Jr., Hunter Schafer, Troye Sivan and Chen Haoyu.

Captured in still and motion images, the actors are seen in “scenes from life” as Jenkins reframes moments of “domestic intimacy” and “normalcy.” Think Harrison in front of a mirror or Schafer slipping on shoes while rushing to get out of the house and those simple moments become more profound — and stylish — as the clothes (or bags or shoes) become a character in the story. Fernando Verder serves as the campaign’s creative director.

Jenkins comes to the project after having most recently directed the Disney blockbuster Mufasa: The Lion King. He won an Oscar for Moonlight, a best picture winner, and has also directed The Underground Railroad, If Beale Street Could Talk and an episode of Dear White People.

The showing marks the latest Prada moment for its roster of brand ambassadors, some of whom have been with the house for years like Schafer, who most recently starred in the final season of Euphoria. She next stars in Blade Runner 2099. “I would define Prada as an intersection. I feel like Prada represents the collision of multiple avatars. Prada is simultaneously youthful, and classic. Loud and conservative. Femme and masc. Hard and soft, etc., etc.,” Schafer said upon joining the house in 2021. “All the best combos.”

The campaign marked a reunion for Jenkins and Harrison after having previously worked together on Mufasa. He next stars in Alpha Gang and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. “Prada’s elegance is based in craftsmanship,” Harrison previously said about the fashion house. “They value people who don’t align with the status quo, who embrace difference, artists who challenge their industry. That mirrors their brand.”

Sivan most recently released his album Something to Give Each Other in 2023, and he shared a tour with Charli XCX. Chen, a Chinese singer and actress, has been seen in such projects as The Heart, A Journey to Love, Be My Friend, Begin Again, Home Coming, A Writer’s Odyssey 2, Summer of Meizhou and the reality competition Ride the Wind, which she won.

Action Xtreme is expanding into the U.K. and Ireland film distribution space with the release of the John Hannah-led Bad Day at the Office.

The adrenaline-fueled POV action thriller, produced and directed by Chee Keong Cheung and also starring Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Man on Fire), will receive its U.K. premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August. It’s set to open the prestigious Midnight Madness strand before launching nationwide in cinemas across the U.K. and Ireland this October.

The move represents a significant milestone for the U.K.-based studio. Alongside an expanding production slate, Action Xtreme is working on international partnerships, talent development initiatives and its pioneering MA in Action Filmmaking with Falmouth University. In addition to overseeing the theatrical release of productions in the U.K. and Ireland, the company will also selectively acquire commercially driven action and genre titles that “align with the brand.”

Bad Day at the Office is shot entirely from the first-person perspective using GoPro cameras. The film follows a man (Hannah) who wakes in a hotel with no memory of who he is, only to discover a dead body in the bath and an army of assassins closing in. Forced to go on the run and uncover the truth while fighting for survival, he discovers he may not be the man he thought he was.

“Shot in the style of first-person shooter video games with cine-literate wit, humor, ferocious pacing and a cracking soundtrack, this is an anarchic, ultra-violent and hilarious thrill ride of pure, cinematic carnage,” said festival director at Edinburgh Emma Boa. “The ultimate Midnight Madness experience.”

Cheung, also CEO of Action Xtreme, added: “Bad Day at the Office is exactly the kind of bold, cinematic experience Action Xtreme was created for… Seeing our first theatrical release launch with a festival premiere at Edinburgh’s Midnight Madness, before rolling out nationwide, makes this an incredibly exciting moment for the company.”

Co-CEO Andreas Roald said distribution has been “a key component” of their strategy. “Over the last few years we’ve focused on building Action Xtreme into far more than a production company… We’ve created a platform that develops action filmmakers, produces films and now brings those films directly to action audiences. Distribution has been a key component of our strategy.”

The studio’s recent productions include Nigerian action thriller Son of the Soil, which became one of Netflix Africa’s most successful action releases following theatrical runs across multiple territories. Upcoming productions include sci-fi thriller The Experiment, starring Rhona Mitra and Famke Janssen, as well as several international co-productions currently in development.

In a wide-ranging brand deal unlike anything in recent memory, The Walt Disney Co. and Kraft Heinz have inked a multiyear “strategic alliance” that will span media and experiences, bringing Kraft Heinz brands to Disney’s film and TV content, as well as to the company’s vast theme parks and cruise business.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though it will include 10 Kraft Heinz brands, including Heinz (best known for Ketchup, of course), Philadelphia (cream cheese) and Kraft Mac & Cheese getting prime placement within Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim, as well as on Disney cruises departing out of North America.

The experiences element of the deal will also include new menu items, and new condiment stations across the parks. Kraft Heinz will also have a presence at D23 this summer with sauces from the company’s sauce vault.

But it also includes media, where one can imagine Kraft Heinz brands being integrated into Disney feature films or TV shows (think of the role Mercedes-Benz played in Devil Wears Prada 2 for example), or as part of event coverage, such as next year’s Super Bowl on ESPN (where ad space is at a premium, as it always is).

“From going to the movies and watching a TV show to going to a theme park, it’s all about bringing people together around these shared passion points and fandom for some of these properties that I know Disney has across their vast portfolio, and it’s also what our 100-year-old plus brands have also already done,” says Todd Kaplan, the CMO of Kraft Heinz North America, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “It allows us to show up in these mealtime moments that matter most to consumers when they’re having these shared experiences, whether it’s at a park, on a cruise ship, at a hotel or resort in fully integrated ways to meet fans where they are, and sometimes those things are even at home when you’re watching.”

“We’re gonna have storytelling-driven collaborations, media integrations, experiential activations inspired by all of Disney’s iconic franchises and major sporting events,” he adds.

Kaplan says that the companies are still thinking about the specific places they will work together, with the multiyear nature of the deal giving them a runway to discuss what each company has coming down the pipe in terms of products, films, shows and other things. Kraft Heinz, given its vast portfolio of products, is among the largest marketers in the U.S.

“It’s really making sure we can fully integrate our efforts across them all as we look to activate and bring some of these really interesting properties to life,” Kaplan says. “As we look across their whole ecosystem of entertainment platforms and properties, how and when we choose to integrate across the life of this long-term partnership, we’re really excited about the opportunity to create new opportunities and unlock new value for both of our organizations.”

And more than anything, it is about merging one of America’s best-known entertainment brands, and connecting it with the owner of some of its best known food brands.

“Disney Corporate Alliances is focused on working with iconic brands with shared values to create meaningful experiences that bring families closer to the stories and places they love,” said Becca Vodnoy, senior VP of corporate alliances at The Walt Disney Co. “The collaboration with Kraft Heinz is the perfect demonstration of another brand that understands how families connect through everyday moments, and together we will build creative experiences for our consumers across our destinations, platforms, and fan touchpoints.”

“Why we’re doing it is, Disney and Kraft Heinz share something really rare: For generations families have grown up with both of our companies and our brands, whether it’s watching your favorite Disney movie, whether it’s with Kraft Mac and Cheese, whether it’s reaching for Heinz at the dinner table, our brands are really woven into everyday family traditions,” says Kaplan. “We have these storied, iconic brands that have been around for many many years, and so the partnership is not about creating this artificial connection, it’s actually about building upon the memory structure that consumers already have of both of our brands, and bringing these moments to life in new ways.”

And among Hollywood companies it’s the sort of deal only Disney could do, from the Super Bowl and big-budget films to streaming shows and cruise ships.

On Monday night, Chloe Fineman walked the carpet for new movie The Dink, following two big pieces of career news in the last week — first, that she was leaving Saturday Night Live, and second, that she would be joining Netflix show Myron Bolitar as a series regular.

Fineman had appeared on SNL for seven seasons and wrote in her announcement post on Instagram that she “decided it’s time for my next chapter.” The new series — an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s thriller novels about an NBA star-turned-sports agent that is being co-showrun by David E. Kelley and Kyle Long — seems to be a big part of that next chapter, as she told The Hollywood Reporter at The Dink premiere.

“Seven years is kind of like the classic way [at SNL], and then like right as my contract was up, this amazing David E. Kelley opportunity came in like completely out of the blue. I did a little chemistry read and it was off to the races; it just felt like a perfect time,” Fineman explained. “I’m really proud of everything, but it’s hard. I’m genuinely really good friends with everybody and I genuinely couldn’t love that job more. So it’s really bittersweet, but I’m gonna be in New York. I’m down the street. Maybe you’ll see me.”

She noted that Colin Jost had called her earlier that day because it was her birthday (“I fully cried”) and “everyone’s like really reaching out. It’s the sweetest show. It’s a hard show, but the people — it’s because of hours and everything. But like it really is a family, and I’ve been crying like sweet tears.” The comedian also added that she felt lucky to get to adjust to a more regular, non-SNL schedule while also working on something she was excited about, with filming starting on Myron Bolitar this week.

As for larger SNL plans, Fineman said she was looking forward to “just stretching the TV wings and like who better than David E. Kelley? And I’m really excited to like watch SNL as an audience member [in person], which I’ve never done.”

Her summer also includes the release of The Dink, starring alongside Jake Johnson and Ben Stiller in a comedy about a washed-up tennis pro who tries to save a club by reluctantly playing pickleball.

Johnson joked that they “represent both sides” in the tennis vs. pickleball debate and the project came about when he was looking to do something “just funny and light and kind of easy listening.”

“This kind of mid-range comedy with a nice three-act structure that’s kind of light has gone away, and they’ve either become really cool indies that are like very cool or huge franchises, and neither of those were the ones I really dreamt of making,” Johnson, who is a producer on the film, added of the sports comedy. “Being able to make a mid-tier comedy that’s just got like every scene there’s a different funny person who comes in — everybody’s funny in the movie. There’s heart. There’s a real story. There’s a structure. Like I want more movies like this, so I really hope it works.”

The Dink, which also stars Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris and Aaron Chen, premieres Friday on Apple TV.

As Josh Horowitz points out, Matt Damon had quite an impressive physique in The Odyssey, specifically in the bicep region. However, the actor confessed he can’t take full credit for all the times you see his muscular limbs in the film.

During a recent interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast host, Damon revealed that he actually had a female stunt double for one key scene in Christopher Nolan’s epic action fantasy film.

After thanking Horowitz for the “high praise,” The Rip actor explained, “When we did the forced perspective stuff of the Laestrygonians — I don’t know if there’s been a thing about how we did it — there were these stunt men who were all seven feet,” he said, referring to the giant warriors in The Odyssey.

“And then they got stuntmen who were under five feet, and so my double was a woman, a female stunt performer, who had the greatest arms I’ve ever seen,” he added.

Damon recalled first meeting the stunt double in the catering tent while filming and going up to hug her and thank her “for all the work she put in.”

“So there are those shots in the movie where you see these giants looming over me, and so it was almost 100 percent my arms in the movie, but you gotta give it up where it’s due,” he said.

The Odyssey, based on Homer’s ancient Greek poem, follows King Odysseus’ (Damon) dangerous voyage back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, including battles with mythical creatures, as he attempts to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). The film also stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Jon Bernthal, Samantha Morton, Travis Scott and Benny Safdie. 

Following its July 17 release, the film scored a major box office victory, collecting more than $264 million globally in its debut weekend.

Hamish Hamilton has directed over a dozen Super Bowls, the opening ceremony to the 2012 Summer Olympics, six Emmy Awards ceremonies, four Oscars and three Grammy nights, among many more marquee events. None of those, he says, were quite as challenging as the first-ever FIFA World Cup Finals Halftime Show he directed on Sunday.

“A lot of that is because it was the first,” Hamilton, co-founder of the production company Done + Dusted, tells The Hollywood Reporter over Zoom from his New Jersey hotel room the morning after the World Cup, calling the show “challenging beyond challenging.”

“Along with the Olympics, this was right up there,” he says. “I’m sure the first Super Bowl Halftime show was incredibly difficult, but when I came in they’d already done over 40 of them. By the time you get to Super Bowl 47, the NFL’s got everything super well drilled. But in this kind of scenario, there are so many unanswered questions. There’s all the people who haven’t done it before, a huge amount of nervousness, we’re doing this in daylight, you’ve got the grass, you’ve got a huge collection of superstars. It’s absolutely terrifying because there are so many things can go wrong.”

Luckily for Hamilton and FIFA, they didn’t have any technical snags Sunday, and months of prep came and went in a quick-fleeting moment as Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, a Gustavo Dudamel-led orchestra, Shakira, Burna Boy, the PS22 Choir and the Muppets all hit the stage in an 11-minute time span.

“It’s a mixture of exhaustion, relief and happiness,” Hamilton says of the show’s conclusion. “I’m very proud of what we did to help bring Chris [Martin, of Coldplay, who served as curator] and Global Citizens’ vision to life. They had this dream four years ago. It’s an enormous undertaking and they should be applauded for what they did.”

Figuring out how to format the show to fit so many acts in such a short time frame was its own challenge, but as Hamilton says, the bigger question was the “gargantuan kind of logistical undertaking” involved with the broader production. There was the “very strong daylight that just kept coming,” which influenced how they shot the whole show. And whereas the NFL games MetLife Stadium usually hosts are played on artificial turf, the FIFA final was played on grass. The more delicate surface impacts everything for halftime, from what stage sets are possible to what sorts of cameras they could use.

Plenty of the pressure was coming from outside as well. The halftime show was the subject of skepticism from soccer fans around the globe, who questioned the need for the show and worried about how adding a concert to a game where halftime is normally just 15 minutes would impact the competition itself. The Cure’s Robert Smith made headlines last week ahead of the finals in his critique of the show, writing “pleasejustfuckoff.” The Guardian, meanwhile, referred to the concert as “the half-time show nobody asked for.”

Hamilton, himself British and a lifelong fan of the Premier League’s Arsenal F.C., acknowledged those sentiments and noted they’re more prevalent in markets outside of the U.S., which is historically much more acclimated to melding music and sport thanks to events like the Super Bowl.

“I’m a football fan, and have been my entire life,” he says. “Around the world, certainly around Europe and in the U.K., I saw some people who were like, ‘We don’t want your halftime show. We don’t want the Americanization of the beautiful game.’ I was, of course, very aware of that resistance. It’s not so much in America, because sports, entertainment and music sit a lot closer together here than they do probably anywhere else in the world. But I was very aware of that, and also about disrupting the second half if there were any issues with the grass. It’s hard, it’s pressure.”

Will any skeptics be converted now that the first show has come and gone with the rest of the tournament?

“It’s a very good question, I was so absorbed and immersed in creating the show within the game,” Hamilton says. “If someone else was directing and I was just watching from London [as a fan], maybe I could comment. But listen, it’s the World Cup Final, it’s the greatest, most-watched sporting event in the world. Having been part of it as a live director, I would say on balance definitely, and I hope that they do another one.”

It seems Kevin Feige has gotten used to Adam Driver telling him no.

During a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz, the Marvel Studios president revealed that Driver has turned down joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe so many times that it has become a “tradition.”

“It’s no secret we’d like to [work with Driver],” Feige said. “But it’s a tradition to Zoom with him and then he passes. That’s a long-lived tradition. He couldn’t be more cordial. He is usually upfront about how he is feeling.”

The Marvel boss didn’t reveal which roles he’s pitched to Driver; however, rumors have been circulating on social media about the actor potentially boarding the big-screen reboot of the X-Men that’s currently in development. Marvel has yet to confirm any casting for the film, but The Hollywood Reporter reported last year that Jake Schreier was in talks to direct.

Though Driver has never shared why he keeps turning down opportunities to join the MCU, it likely wouldn’t be because they’re blockbuster films, as he’s had his fair share in those. Most notably, he played Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, including The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

In addition to other high-profile pics such as House of Gucci (2021), Ferrari (2023) and Megalopolis (2024), Driver likes to have a nice balance when it comes to his filmography, starring in plenty of indie films as well, including Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Paterson (2016), Marriage Story (2019) and the upcoming Paper Tiger.

Though Driver has no plans as of now to join the MCU, no matter how hard Feige tries, the actor is interested in stepping back into another blockbuster franchise: Star Wars. He had been working on a standalone Kylo Ren movie with director Steven Soderbergh, but Disney axed the film, despite it having Lucasfilm’s support.