Riding high on the $525m global box office of Project Hail Mary, a busy Amazon MGM Studios presentation at CinemaCon on Wednesday night teased a gamut of films, culminating in the trailer for autumn release I Play Rocky, Peter Farrelly’s story about the making of Rocky.
Yet there was no update on Bond 26, nearly five years after the release of No Time To Die and last year’s announcements about director Denis Villeneuve, producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal, and writer Steven Knight. “Please know that we’re taking the time to do this with care and deep respect,” said Courtenay Valenti, head of film at Amazon MGM Studios. “That film is coming, and when the time is right, we’ll have much more to share.”
The loud and clear message from Las Vegas was that the studio is all in on theatrical. “While some of our competitors have dipped their toes in and out of the theatrical waters, for us, this isn’t a test or an experiment,” Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, told whooping exhibitors inside Dolby Colosseum in Caesar’s Palace. “Our commitment to release at least 15 films every year into your theatres is on schedule.”
Helen Moss, the head of international theatrical distribution who came over last year from Paramount, thanked Sony Pictures for handling international on the initial slate while she builds the infrastructure. “Over the past year, my marketing counterpart Charlie Coleman and I have been […] expanding our international footprint, bringing in seasoned theatrical leaders across key territories including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia.”
Farrelly joined Anthony Ippolito and AnnaSophia Robb on stage to talk up I Play Rocky, which follows a young, unknown Sylvester Stallone as he fights to play the lead role in the film he wrote. The film’s heart and the involvement of the director of the 2018 TIFF audience award winner Green Book suggests a potential Toronto world premiere slot.
‘Highlander’ reboot
Henry Cavill sent a recorded message from set in the UK teasing footage from the 2027 reboot Highlander, which will move on to locations in the Scottish Highlands, Poland, and Hong Kong. Chad Stahelski’s fantasy reboot of the 1986 original also stars Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Marisa Abela, Siobhán Cullen, and Djimon Hounsou.
The project falls under the aegis of former Netflix film head Scott Stuber’s revived United Artists label at Amazon MGM Studios. The label is also behind Heat 2 starring Leonardo DiCaprio, although there was no mention of the crime thriller follow-up.
The session began with Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan and Adria Arjona talking up director-star Jordan’s reboot of the romantic crime caper The Thomas Crown Affair. They showed a trailer for the March 5, 2027 release.
Laika head Travis Knight introduced the Masters Of The Universe segment with star Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes and showed footage to the fantasy action reboot that will open on June 5.
Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun and Galitzine promoted Kyle Balda’s whodunnit action comedy The Sheep Detectives releasing on May 8 and showed a trailer to the family film, which also stars Emma Thompson and features a voice cast including Bryan Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Project Hail Mary star Ryan Gosling and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller bounded on stage for a comedic bit and handed out a bouquet of flowers and a thank-you note to cinema owners.
In one of the highlights, Josh Greenbaum came on to introduce his Spaceballs: The New One (April 2027) cast members Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Josh Gad, Lewis Pullman, and Rick Moranis. They showed footage and Mel Brooks, the creator of the 1987 original sci-fi satire, announced the new title in a recorded message.
Dirt bikes and tumbling acrobats provided the introduction to an ebullient segment with director David Leitch and Pete Davidosn as they showed a first-look to their action title How To Rob A Bank (September 4) about robbers that that live-stream heists. Nicholas Hoult stars and the cast includes John C. Reilly, Zoe Kravitz, and Anna Sawai.
Jason Statham sent a recorded message teeing up a trailer for Miramax-produced action thriller The Beekeeper 2, which comes out on January 15, 2027, and follows the $163m worldwide hit from 2024.
There were also trailers for the Orion label’s violent and highly stylised crime drama A Colt Is My Passport, Gareth Evan’s remake of Takashi Nomura’s 1967 film that stars Sope Dirisu as a Vietnam veteran on the run after killing a crime boss; and Mahershala Ali drama Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother directed by Bassam Tariq.
The studio’s slate includes October release Verity, Michael Showalter’s romantic psychological thriller and Colleen Hoover adaptation starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett; and 2027 release The Chosen: Crucifixion.
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