Exclusive: 'Barbarian' Filmmaker Zach Cregger in Talks to Direct 'Clue' Movie for Sony

Happy Tuesday, folks!

I got back from Toronto late Thursday night, played basketball on Saturday morning, took in a late-night screening of Speak No Evil (which played like gangbusters in the theater), and went for a lovely walk around the Hollywood reservoir on Sunday morning, but as soon as I got home, I started feeling sick, and by Monday, I could barely move.

So, I apologize for not sending a newsletter yesterday following the Emmys, but I simply didn’t have the strength. I may sit on my ass all day, but it takes a lot of energy to write a newsletter that’s several thousand words long. Fortunately, I feel a lot better today, so brace yourselves for an extra-long newsletter.

Yesterday, as I sat on the couch drinking tea, I caught up with Pixar’s Inside Out 2, which, yes, got me to cry at the end, so I had to follow that up with Elliott Lester’s western The Thicket, which features marvelous turns from Peter Dinklage and Juliette Lewis. Keep an eye on Lester, as he showed me something here, and this is the second film in a row of his that I’ve enjoyed — the first being Arnold Schwarzegger’s 2017 drama Aftermath.

I also watched a bizarre, terrible 1987 movie titled Deathrow Gameshow, in which people on death row compete on television for stays of execution or prize money that will go to their families after they’re dead. I warned you — I’m a sick twist. Deathrow Gameshow was pretty unwatchable but there’s a kernel of an idea in there that some clever producer could find and resell under a different guise. Look at Squid Game. Look at Paramount remaking The Running Man. This is actually a movie worth remaking… though its title has no value, so you’re better off just using it as an inspirational launch point for something else.

Finally, I watched the first episode of Peacock’s Fight Night starring Kevin Hart and then turned back to the book I’ve been reading — Dean Koontz’s 1995 serial killer thriller Intensity. The entire time I’ve been reading this book, I’ve been thinking about how it would make a great movie, so imagine my surprise when I finally checked today and saw that it was actually turned into a two-night TV movie starring John C. McGinley and Molly Parker back in 1997. I promptly bought the only DVD copy I could find on Amazon for $20, and I’ll report back once I’ve had a chance to watch it.

When will I get the chance? I have no idea because there’s so much TV to watch. In addition to finishing Fight Night, I have to watch HBO’s new comedy series The Franchise, and a pair of true-crime shows from Ryan Murphy — Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, and American Spots Story: Aaron Hernandez on Hulu.

Oh, and there will be new episodes of Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Saturday Night Live soon. An embarrassment of riches, indeed…

In tonight’s newsletter, you’ll read about who Sony is hiring to write and direct its new Clue movie, and I also weigh in on Sunday night’s Emmy winners and the big awards upset out of TIFF.

There are also stories about Mario Lopez taking a break from Access Hollywood, Jennifer Lopez lining up a Netflix rom-com with one of the stars of Ted Lasso, John Cena teaming up with the director of Extraction, Ryan Murphy’s subject (and star) for Season 3 of Monster, and the latest update on Kevin Smith’s Mallrats sequel, plus my thoughts on the brilliant trailer for Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour.

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