More studio shuffling. Searchlight has pulled “Magazine Dreams” from its December 8 release date, as its star, Jonathan Majors, now has his domestic violence trial set to begin on November 29.
Searchlight hasn’t even given a new date to “Magazine Dreams.” They’re probably waiting it out to see if Majors’ trial goes well. If the trial does not go well for Majors then don’t be surprised if “Magazine Dreams” doesn’t get released at all. Would they even dare dump it on HULU?
Earlier this week, I wrote about “Magazine Dreams” having had no promo material released. An insider had told me that Searchlight was waiting it out for the next court date on October 25th. Well, it happened and it didn’t go well.
At that court date, another bombshell was brought out against Majors — this one, supposedly, evidence of an incident report concerning another ex-girlfriend of his. Now, London police is involved in this fiasco.
It’s a real shame because Majors’ star was rising and his performance in “Magazine Dreams” was revelatory. The film could have used a nice trim in the editing room, but his work in this film was absolutely revelatory.
“Magazine Dreams” is a grim character study about an amateur bodybuilder (Majors) struggling to find human connection as his relentless drive to be recognized pushes him to test his sanity. It’s a film that takes inspiration in Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle — an oddball loner starving to get recognized and slowly losing his mind.
Here’s what I wrote about the film, and Majors’ performance, at this last January’s Sundance Film Festival:
It doesn’t have a shot at Best Picture, but Majors’ sure as hell has a major chance at getting nominated for Best Actor. Ultimately, this is and should be seen as the Jonathan Majors show — the commitment he brings to his role as a sociopathic bodybuilder is damn-near terrifying to behold. There’s a kind of softened terror in the way Majors makes his Killian unravel before our very eyes. You’ll be hearing a lot about this performance in the months to come.
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