Last Looks: John Malkovich joins ‘Bad Monkey,' TIFF Market Heats Up

The Dailies

The Dailies reports on the latest in development, greenlights, renewals, and cancellations.

Bad Monkey (Apple TV+)

Film Development 🗒️

• Todd Haynes’ shelved romance ‘De Noche’ is being revived, with Pedro Pascal circling to star alongside Danny Ramirez. (more)
• Milly Alcock will star in dark comedy ‘Thumb,’ about a woman obsessed with returning a severed thumb to its owner, from Weed Road and Bluestone. (more)
• Lucasfilm has set the cast for ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’, adding Amy Adams and Aaron Pierre alongside Ryan Gosling in Shawn Levy’s 2027 film. (more)
• Anna Kendrick and Seth Rogen are in talks to star in comedy ‘Babies,’ directed by Lauren Miller Rogen and launching at the TIFF market. (more)
• Thomasin McKenzie and Toby Wallace will star in Frances O’Connor’s sophomore film ‘Sister Maria Goes to Rome.’ (more)
• Princ Films has picked up worldwide sales rights to Martin Freeman and Malin Akerman’s comedy ‘Let’s Love’ ahead of the TIFF market. (more)
• John Cho and Alexandra Daddario will star in horror-thriller ‘Inground,’ produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and launching at the TIFF market. (more)
• Channing Tatum, Oscar Isaac and Zazie Beetz will star in crime drama ‘Kockroach,’ a hot package at the TIFF market. (more)
• Disney has scrapped Questlove’s planned live-action remake of ‘The Aristocats.’ (more)
• Werner Herzog’s Venice doc ‘Ghost Elephants’ has been acquired by National Geographic and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu. (more)
• Amazon MGM has picked up Morgan Neville’s Paul McCartney doc, ‘Man on the Run,’ premiering at Telluride before hitting Prime Video. (more)

TV Development 📺

• John Malkovich has joined Apple TV+ comedy ‘Bad Monkey’ as a series regular for S2. (more)
• HBO has won a bidding war for Seth Harp’s nonfiction book ‘The Fort Bragg Cartel,’ with Harp and Len Amato executive producing. (more)
• Hilary Duff will star in and executive produce Hulu’s comedy ‘Pretty Ugly,’ based on Kirker Butler’s novel about an obsessive pageant mom. (more)
• BBC has acquired Apple TV+ sitcom ‘Trying,’ marking its first deal to buy a series from the streamer. (more)
• Elizabeth Banks will star as Karen Read in Prime Video’s limited series about the infamous court case, from David E. Kelley and Justin Noble. (more)
• Amazon MGM has cast Gavin Casalegno, Nico Hiraga, Tommi Rose, and Tayme Thapthimthong in Jeff Wadlow’s thriller ‘The Devil’s Mouth.’ (more)
• Warwick Davis will reprise his role as Professor Flitwick in HBO’s upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ TV series debuting in 2027. (more)
• Jessica Alba is producing Fox’s mystery drama ‘Wine & Spirits,’ inspired by psychic medium Jennifer Shaffer. (more)
• Prime Video has canceled YA drama ‘Motorheads’ after S1, though producers are shopping it to new outlets. (more)
• Prime Video has ordered Ryan Swanson’s animated faith-based series ‘The Chosen Adventures,’ debuting Oct. 17. (more)

Business 🤝

• Warner Bros. has named former ValueAct partner Brad Singer as CFO ahead of its 2026 post-split launch. (more)
• Peacock will launch on Prime Video Channels under a new Comcast–Amazon deal at $16.99/month. (more)
• FuboTV will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny sports-focused streaming plan, on Sept. 2 with 20+ networks and bundled ESPN+ access. (more)
• Disney EVPs Randi Hiller (Casting) and Sam Dickerman (Production) will exit the studio in early 2026. (more)

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