Jennifer Lawrence’s Next Movie Will Not Get Traditional Release After Bidding War
Jennifer Lawrence saw an upcoming movie of hers in an all-out streaming bidding war and now we know which platform will carry it
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Two days ago (August 12), it was reported that Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) would star in a biopic about Sue Mengers, a legendary talent agent from the 60s and 70s. The movie was in a bidding war between Apple and Netflix, and from a new report from Deadline, it looks like Apple will emerge victorious in gaining the rights.
The original report was that Apple and Netflix were in a bidding war with Jennifer Lawrence attached to take the lead role. Apple had read the script, but Netflix was supposedly behind as an interested third party.
If Apple then really gets the rights, then expect the movie with Jennifer Lawrence with director Paolo Sorrentino (The Young Pope, The New Pope) to hit exclusively on Apple TV+. The company has been making big moves for its Original Films division recently with similar deals to exclusively premiere movies on its platform. It spent $200 million for the star-studded spy flick Argylle with Henry Cavill (Justice League), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Catharine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), John Cena (The Suicide Squad), and Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction). The tech giant also spent over $120 million for Emancipation with Will Smith (Men in Black) and Ben Foster (Hell or High Water).
John Logan (Penny Dreadful) with Orange Is the New Black writers Lauren Schuker Blum, and Rebecca Angelo are writing the screenplay for the Sue Mengers biopic with Jennifer Lawrence. Erik Feig and his Picturestart will produce with the Oscar-winning actress’ producing partner Justine Polsky.
Back in the 1960s through the 1980s, before an eventual decline in her career, Sue Mengers broke new ground in Hollywood. There were not many women in her position to be a talent agent, especially with representing A-listers like Barbra Streisand (A Star Is Born), Candice Bergen (Starting Over), Michael Caine (The Dark Knight trilogy), Cher (Moonstruck), Gene Hackman (The French Connection), Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men), Anthony Perkins (Psycho), Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights), and Cybill Shepherd (Taxi Driver). Jennifer Lawrence portraying the dealmaker will show audiences the life of someone known for a big personality and did so much for women in the industry that is often known as a boy’s club, even to this day.
Before Jennifer Lawrence stepped up to the plate for the role, there was another project in the works about the talent agent’s life and career. Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) was going to make his debut with a non-documentary based on Sue Mengers. In 2017, he left his production company, Warrior Poets, making the project seemingly dead.
Jennifer Lawrence has made a name for herself across different genres. In the realm of blockbusters, she broke out with The Hunger Games franchise and then transitioned into the world of superheroes with Fox’s long-running X-Men movies. In between, she has done acclaimed, award-nominated, and winning films like American Hustle and Joy. She would eventually take home an Oscar for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.
